Light within the Darkness
by Natsu Kotone
Summary: Taking place slightly prior and during the events of Jak 3; it seems that Baron Praxis' actions within Haven City have lived on, even after his death bringing war with it. I wrote this to explain my reasoning for altering my character Lani's Eco form.
1. Premonition

Chapter 1:

Premonition

His footsteps echoed off the stone walls as he ran down the long alleyway. The yells from the Krimzon Guards could be heard over his heavy breathing as they followed closely behind him. They were everywhere; flashes of red closing in as he darted from building to building.

Day after day, Jak found himself fleeing from Haven City's law enforcement. Luckily for him, it was night out, allowing him to slip away into the shadows and out of sight. He peered around the corner and waited until another wave of KG ran by, guns in hand before retreating in the opposite direction.

"There he is!" one of the Guards yelled. "After him!"

Jak bolted down the street, bullets flying past him. The Guards pursued, firing at will. A few stray shells nicked Jak's arms as he ran down another alleyway. This one was a dead end.

Jak turned around to see the Guards blocking off his only exit, rifles aiming towards him.

"Surrender now or suffer the consequences."

Jak smirked at them.

"I'll take my chances." He said smartly. His hair and skin turned pale as his eyes turned a jet black and horns formed atop his head. Long black claws appeared and he charged at the men in red.

"Open fire!!!"

The Dark Eco enhanced Jak dodged the bullets and began slaughtering the Krimzon Guards. Once the group had thinned, Jak made his escape. The bullets rained down on him again.

There was a sting in his side as a bullet pierced him. The wound began to bleed and Jak stumbled. He covered it with his hand as he continued to run, blood flowing down the side of his body. The city began to swirl around him as he dropped to his knees, holding on tighter to his gunshot wound as the Guards encircled him. He looked up to see one of the Guards raising his rifle and bringing it down heavily against the side of Jak's head.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Lani was jolted awake by the sound of her alarm. The image of the injured Jak faded away in her mind as she opened her eyes and took in the sunlight filling her room. She yawned and rolled over, feeling her way towards the off button on her clock. She sat up; her medium length brown hair a mess and rubbed her eyes as she climbed out of bed to get ready for another day of patrolling the filthy streets of Haven City.

Now that Baron Praxis and his ruthless Krimzon Guards had been defeated, the Underground took control of Haven City. Torn, the head of this Baron-resistant organization became commander of the law enforcement team and began the Freedom League; a group of blue clad soldiers much less brutal than their Krimzon counterparts. Jak and his time traveling friends, having helped the Underground out a great deal in the previous metal head war and the situation with the Baron gained top ranking positions in the League. Though these days, things had quieted down a bit.

Lani rode her Freedom League zoomer around town. Nothing appeared to have changed. Rusty and leaky water pipes attached to cracked concrete buildings, random grasses and weeds emerging from the rocky pavement, smog filled air; good old Haven City. She flew around until she reached a blocked off section of the city.

After the war, the city council had decided to remodel the city. New Haven they called it. It was quite nice compared to the rest of Haven's slums. Fountains, trees, and the buildings were all uniform and well built. The Freedom League headquarters was to be located in this section of the city.

Lani continued her usual rounds about the city.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted. As the sun sunk into the reddening sky, she parked her zoomer outside of the old Hip Hog saloon, now remodeled to the Naughty Ottsel and went inside. She saw Tess, the bubbly blonde cleaning the counters with her orange rodent assistant, Daxter. Lani took a seat at the counter and sighed heavily.

"Long day huh?" Tess asked, sliding her a drink.

"Not so much." Lani replied. "Crime rates still really low…not much metal head movement on the outside…I just haven't been getting much sleep this last week or so is all."

Daxter sat down on the counter next to her.

"Well, what's up?" he asked. "It's not like you to lose sleep. I mean, that's all you do."

"It's nothing…"

"Oh, come on." Daxter said. "You can talk to us. That's what friends are for! We won't judge you."

Lani stared into her drink cup.

"I've been having these dreams…about Jak…" she admitted after a moment. She saw the confused look on their faces and hesitated, unsure of what they were thinking. "They've all been different, but always end the same…with him getting seriously hurt or even killed…I don't know, I just feel like something bad is going to happen to him."

Tess gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about Jak." She said. "He seems to be able to handle anything quite well. Whatever you feel is coming, I'm sure he'll be just fine. It's just a dream."

"Yeah, you're right." Lani said feeling a tiny bit of uplift in her worried heart. Though having heard her words, she just couldn't help but think something serious lied ahead.

"If you think it is something bad, maybe you should talk to him." Tess suggested.

"Maybe…" Lani said. "But, I don't want to make a big fuss out of this you know? I don't want to trouble anyone but I don't want this to make me look crazy and paranoid either."

Tess and Daxter nodded in understanding. Lani sighed again.

"I'm going to head home now I guess."

"Try and get some sleep ok?" Daxter said. "You worry too much. It's Jak. You know he can get himself out of all sorts of trouble."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…and I will. But can you do me a favor and not mention this to anyone? Especially Jak..."

"Our lips are sealed." Daxter said, making a motion as if pulling a zipper across his mouth.

"Thanks. See you guys later."

Lani walked out the saloon and into the cool night air. She looked up at the stars barely twinkling behind a shroud of exhaust clouds emerging from the industrial section.

"Just dreams…" she muttered to herself walking back to her little corner of the city.


	2. A Hero's Payment

Chapter 2:

A Hero's Payment

Another week passed and yet the nightmares of Jak's demise had continued to haunt Lani in her sleep. She acted as if nothing was wrong around her coworkers though deep down, her worry persisted. Could these dreams be a warning of some sort or just her mind playing terrible games on her emotions? Lani couldn't help but wonder what it all meant.

She ran all of the recent happenings through her mind to see if they had any connections with the content of her dreams that could lead her to some kind of explanation as she helped with the New Haven construction.

She jumped a little when a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up to see Haven City's blonde haired hero, Jak. He smiled down at her.

"Haven't seen you 'round in a while." He said.

"Torn's got me doing city patrol everyday and then New Haven work every other day." Lani explained. "Guess you could say I've got my hands full."

"I bet." Jak said. "Sounds a little more productive than metal head watching though. Doesn't seem like they'll be back anytime soon, so I thought I'd drop in here and see if anyone needed help."

"Everything's going good on this side. Not much work to be done here."

"You sure you don't need a hand? You look a little tired. Need a break or something--?"

"I'm fine." Lani lied, forcing a smile. "Nothing I can't handle. Just fun and exciting tree planting…The guys on the east side may need assistance though."

Jak looked at her and saw through her smile.

"Alright then." He sighed, deciding not to argue with her. "If you need anything let me know, ok? I'll catch up with you later."

Lani smiled and waved as Jak headed off to the other side of the construction zone. She could tell that he was onto her and yet, she didn't want to make a big deal about the nightmares she had been having about him. But before she could stop herself, she called out to him.

"Hey, Jak…I do need a hand with this after all…"

He smirked, knowing something was up and walked back to help her out with her tree planting project. The two of them dragged the tree across the roadway and lowered it into its hole. It was quiet as they shoveled dirt over it.

"Jak…" Lani finally said as she shoveled dirt onto another freshly potted tree. "I need to ask you something."

"Ask away." Jak said, holding up the tree as she covered its roots. Though she was good friends with him, she felt very awkward asking him this question. She looked down at the ground nervously.

"This is going to sound kind of weird, but I was wondering if you had any bad feelings…like something awful was going to happen?"

"No, I haven't." Jak said, looked at her with slight worry. "Why, what's up?"

Lani sunk the shovel into the dirt and looked down into the channel that would soon be filled with water.

"I keep having these dreams…" Lani said. "Nightmares…about this person getting hurt, sometimes dying even. I can't help but think they've got something coming to them."

"Well, who is this person you think is in danger?" he asked. Lani looked him in the eyes.

"You."

"Oh…" he said slightly startled. He didn't know what to say. Just by looking at her he could tell that she had been losing sleep over this and was very worried. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"I don't know." Lani said. "That's what bothers me most. You being the focus of it all is the only connection I have. I wasn't even going to mention this to you, because I thought it would worry you…"

"Nah, don't worry about that." Jak said. "It has been very quiet around here since Praxis' death, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone was out to get me. Glad to see my well-being actually concerns someone around here though."

He smiled at her in hopes she'd feel better about what she just told him, but he could still see the worry in her eyes.

"Well, I don't know whether what you're seeing means anything or not, but I'll keep an eye out just in case ok? I'm glad you came and told me though." He put an arm around her shoulder. "How about this weekend we go hang out somewhere? Maybe grab something to eat at Daxter's place or where ever and get you away from all this work. How's that sound?"

Lani couldn't help but smile at his words. She was very fond of Jak, and just being able to see his face every once in a while was motivation enough to keep her in this hellhole of a city, especially with the constant conflict between her and Jak's alleged 'girlfriend' Keira. Lani couldn't stand being around it any longer. But she hadn't gotten to spend time with him in ages, and the thought lifted her spirits.

"Sounds great!" Lani said happily.

"I thought so." Jak said. "Come over to my place when you're done for the day and I'll drive us over there ok?"

Jak and Lani finished planting the trees around New Haven's roads as the sky began to darken. Jak walked Lani back to her house and they exchanged goodbyes.

Lani stretched before climbing into bed, almost too eager to even think about sleeping. It was exciting enough for her to just be able to spend the day with Jak, but knowing Keira would have a fit with her when she found out made it all the better. She pulled the blanket over herself, glancing at the moon shining through her window and smiled to herself before drifting off to sleep.

The weekend came and Jak sat on his couch, flipping through boring Haven News channels on the television when there came a loud knock on his front door. To his surprise, he found a pair of Freedom League members standing at his doorway.

"What brings you guys over here?" Jak asked.

"An order." One of the men said.

"For what?" Jak questioned. "Is it going to take long because I have to meet up with—"

"We need you to come with us." The other man said. Jak looked at him slightly confused.

"I don't understand, what's going on?"

"You have been ordered under arrest by the—"

"You have got to be kidding. There's no way in hell you're putting me back in prison."

"Don't make this harder than it has to be, Jak. We're just doing our job—"

"Well you can tell whoever gave you that order to kiss my ass."

Jak began to slam the door in the League guard's faces but one of the men stuck his rifle into the door.

"We didn't want to have do this Jak." The man said.

Lani zoomed around town, hoping to finish up her patrol duty early so she could meet up with Jak sooner.

Once her work was done for the day she headed down to Jak's house. It was nice and sunny, making the walk through Haven rather relaxing. Lani rounded the corner and saw what looked like a fight outside Jak's building. Looking closer, she realized it was two Freedom League members trying to restrain Jak as he fought with them to escape their grip. Baffled, Lani stood in the street unsure of what to make of the scene. She started to run to his aid when someone grabbed her, covering her mouth and dragged her off behind the building. Lani looked up to see her shapely, red haired and tattooed superior holding her back.

"Ashelin?" Lani asked angrilly. "What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!

"You can't go out there." Ashelin said."

"And why not?" Lani asked, struggling to get out of her grip. "Can't you see Jak needs help?!"

"They're after you too." Ashelin said. Lani's struggling ceased and Ashelin let her go. For safe measures, Ashelin aimed her pistol at Lani. The yells from Jak's battle could be heard around the corner.

"What's going on?" Lani asked.

"The Grand Council ordered the two of you to be arrested earlier this morning." Ashelin said.

"And you're just going to let them take him?!"

"There was nothing we could do. And it'd be in your best interest to stay quiet and lay low or else you'll be taken in too."

Lani swore under her breath and punched the concrete wall.

"Why are they doing this?" Lani asked. "What's going to happen to him?"

"The Council is accusing you all of causing mayhem in the city." Ashelin explained. "Probably because of the Dark Eco within your bodies from my father's sick experimentation. But they're taking him in to sentence him today. They'll be looking for you too, so we need to get you out of here and somewhere safe."

Lani looked down at the ground. Ashelin put her pistol away and peered around to the corner to make sure the area was cleared.

"After all we did for this piece of shit city…" Lani said. "After all you, your father, the KG and the Underground put us through…This is how we're being repaid?"

"I'm sorry." Ashelin said. "But I already told you there's nothing I can do. Come on, we need to go before you're seen."

Ashelin led Lani out of the area as the League forced Jak into an airship and flew off.


	3. Under Fire

Chapter 3:

Under Fire

For days, Lani sat alone in the back room of the Underground's old hideout doing nothing. She couldn't go out into the open…couldn't even participate in the events at the New Haven opening because the League patrol was increased by Council orders due to her timely disappearance.

Jak had been banished for life, according to Ashelin. Daxter and his loud mouthed bird rival Pecker apparently went along with him. And if they found her, Lani would be dumped out there as well.

They had been dropped off in the Wastelands; miles and miles of seemingly endless desert. Ashelin had assured Lani that he would be found and brought to safety, but to her, the possibility seemed very slim. How could she believe that? It was a desert. Hundred plus degree weather, severe sandstorms…there could be anything out in those barren lands. But people? She doubted anyone was out there. Metal heads, maybe…enormous ones probably, or perhaps worse. If by chance someone did rescue them, hopefully it was before something else got to them.

Lani buried her face in her knees. She felt so helpless. Her friends were out there somewhere and she couldn't do anything but trust Ashelin's word and hope for the best. She sighed deeply out of boredness when the ground began to shake. She looked up at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and the door burst open. A tattooed man with dreadlocks stood in the doorway.

"Grab a gun and get your ass outside." Torn said.

"Huh? But what about the—"

"Now!"

Lani scrambled to her feet and followed after him. Once they got out into the open Lani saw what all the commotion was about. In the sky was a gigantic building. Lani had no idea what it was.

"Look out!" someone yelled.

Torn and Lani dived for cover as a large fireball fell out of the sky and landed before them. They looked up to see the sky filled with fire coming from the building in the air. Ahead of them came a scream as a civilian fell to the ground, a large black creature with a glowing yellow circle on its forehead attacked.

"Metal heads?" Lani said in shock by why she saw.

"And that's not all." Torn said. "The city is under fire from KG robots also. They probably dropped in from that floating piece of junk. It seems both forces had been waiting for the right moment to attack. Guess this war isn't over after all."

Lani couldn't help but watch is awe as the city around her was falling apart once again because of metal heads and the new KG robot threat.

"What should we do?" Lani asked.

"Shoot like hell and get over to the new Headquarters." Torn said. "We'll come up with a plan there."

Lani nodded and set up her gun. She still couldn't believe how things turned out. But now wasn't the time to complain. Gun in hand, Lani ran out into the chaos, shooting down every metal head beast and KG that crossed her path with no mercy.

Finally, she reached the New Haven section of the city and used her access card to get through the protection barrier that had been dropped. As she caught her breath she noticed a couple of Freedom League guards heading over towards her. She raised her gun at them.

"Tell anyone you saw me and I'll make sure those metal heads leave out of here with full stomachs."

The guards looked at each other and nodded at her, walking in the opposite direction. Lani smirked and ran towards HQ.

The large doors slid open and Lani walked inside to see the other Underground members waiting.

"None of this would be happening if they took her instead of Jak…" the blue-green haired mechanic muttered to herself.

"I would have loved to be wandering around in the Wastelands and baking in the scorching sun." Lani said smartly. "Too bad, I can't. Sorry for the inconvenience Kiera. It's not like I want to be stuck here with you either."

"Enough." Ashelin said. "We need you to focus so we can figure out a way out of this mess."

"Convince the Grand Council to let Jak back into the city." Lani said. "He always gets this place out of trouble."

"It's not as simple as that." Torn said.

"I know, because no one even knows whether or not he's still alive!" Lani exclaimed.

"Will you just keep your mouth shut for a moment?" Keira asked.

"No!" Lani yelled. "You of all people should be the one fighting for him. You don't even seem to care about whether or not he's safe like Ashelin promised!"

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Anything!" Lani yelled at her. "How about quit building zoomers and get off your ass and go find him!"

In her fit of rage, fangs could be seen forming on her gritted teeth. The Dark Eco in her body caused her eyes to flash black for a moment.

"Jak put a lot of effort into keeping this city that meant nothing to him safe." Lani said turning her back on them. "And all of you let him down, let all of his efforts go to waste by letting them send him away and not trying to find a way to get him back. The city is in danger and no one seems capable of saving it. If no one is going to do anything then I will."

She began to walk towards the door.

"Lani, you can't go out there." Tess said. "It's too dangerous."

"Jak is key to all of this." Lani said. "I'm going to find him. And none of you are going to stop me."

The others looked from her to each other as she left the building. No one followed after her.

"Good riddance…" Keira said crossing her arms.

"We can't just let her go out there."Tess said worriedly. "She could get killed."

"She's right though." Ashelin said. "We have done nothing to fully ensure his safety. And if he is still out there, we need to get him back."

She followed after Lani and found her warming up the engine of Freedom League cruiser. Lani looked up and saw Ashelin coming towards her.

"I doubt you're coming with me." Lani said. "And I'm not going to let you keep me here."

"No, I'm here to help you." Ashelin said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device. "I know how much you care about Jak and really look up to him. Take this with you."

"What is it?" Lani asked taking the deivice from her.

"It's a tracking device." Ashelin said. "Use it when you get out there. You need to speak to a man named Damas."

"Damas? So there are people out there then…How do you know about all of this?"

"It's a long story. But I promised you Jak would be safe. I gave him a tracker also so Damas should have picked him up shortly after he was dropped off. Be careful when you get out there. Trust no one but him. I have faith in you."

"Thanks Ashelin." Lani said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Lani activated the boosters in the cruiser and lifted off into the air. Ashelin watched as she soared off into the distance before heading back to Headquarters.

As she flew towards the desert, Lani came close to enormous floating piece of metal. She flew in closer and recognized the Krimzon Guard emblem painted onto the floating building. She grabbed her radio.

"Just a heads up Torn." Lani said. "That large piece of machinery hovering over the city definitely has KG all over it. And it looks like they've got airships so watch the skies too."

"Copy that." Came Torn's voice over the intercom.

Lani avoided fire from the airships and continued out to the Wastelands.


	4. A Little Too Late

Chapter 4:

A Little Too Late

Lani landed her cruiser on a sand dune and climbed out. It was extremely hot, hotter than she had ever imagined. There was no water to be seen over the mounds of tan sand. It wasn't even worth trying to find shade under the half dead trees and cactus plants. Lani fanned herself as she pulled out her tracker which was flashing and looked off into the distance, shielding her eyes from the sun.

There was no one to be seen for miles. Could there really be someone coming to get her in this sweltering heat? She couldn't help but feel sorry for Jak, having to roam around in this environment, wherever he may be. She sat on the hood of her cruiser and waited.

The blonde haired teenager entered the room, his orange friend at his ankles as they approached the stern looking king.

"Well done, Jak." The king said. "You are becoming much closer to being officially accepted into my city. I'm sure you are tired, but the work that must be done shall never rest. I must ask you of another favor."

"Of course." Daxter said. "All the work is always being dumped on us."

"I've received a signal from a tracking beacon out in the desert." Damas said. "I want you to assist me in locating it before the signal is lost."

"What do you think it is?" Jak asked.

"An uncovered artifact perhaps." Damas said. "Could even be another unwanted individual like you had been. If that is the case, we must be quick. I sense a storm ahead."

Only twenty minutes had passed by before Lani felt like she was about to die. The sun shone brightly above her as she sat on the soft sand, its rays beating down on her bringing with them unbearable heat. If it was anyone but Jak, she would have bailed long ago.

She began pushing sand around with her feet when she heard a rumbling in the distance. She looked up to see a group of land vehicles coming towards her. Could this be a mirage from all this heat or had Damas finally come to assist her?

The fierce looking dune buggies circled around her, spikes protruding from their tires and side panels. Guns were mounted on each of the vehicles. Lani couldn't help but wonder why.

One by one the men began to exit their vehicles, each one topless and adorned with plated armor and spikes. All held onto makeshift swords or guns. But the strangest part was the masks that covered their faces. Terrifying as it was, she figured it was to protect their faces from the sandstorms. They stood before her.

"Um, I need to speak with a man named Damas." Lani said nervously. "I was told he could help me find someone."

A wave of uncomfort swept over her as the men only stood in silence, watching her. They looked at each other and began to come towards her.

"Are any of you Damas?" Lani asked, backing away slowly. Again, no one answered. "Do any of you know where I can find him…?"

One of the strange men grabbed her arm. She smacked it away forcefully.

"Don't put your hands on me!" Lani shouted. All of the men began to laugh and close in on her. "All of you had better back away from me. I'm warning you!"

Lani pulled out her gun and aimed it at the group as they continued to laugh and walked towards her. She fired, hitting one in the chest and he fell to the ground, the light sand darkening as it soaked up his blood. The others looked down at him and then back at her, angered by the loss of one of their men. They raised their swords and came at her all at once. Lani swore under her breath and aimed her gun once more.

As she shot at the men, she noticed more vehicles were coming in her direction. They began firing before they even reached the scene. Lani was deflecting bullets and swords from every direction and they just kept coming. The battle was taking longer than she had expected. Either that or her lack of adaption to the heat was slowing her down. She knocked down one of the men with the end of her gun and shot him while he was down. That was the last of her ammo. She turned, only to be slashed in the face. Frustrated, she threw the gun at him, hitting him in the face with it. He stumbled, the mask taking the majority of the force but that wouldn't save him as Lani used her Dark Eco abilities to transform.

With her enhanced power, she began tearing through her attackers. They were strong, but she was stronger. She had only a few more before her when the desert began to swirl. She felt dizzy from exerting so much energy in this extreme heat. One of the larger men raised his sword high above her head and drove it straight down, but Lani blocked it. She kicked him in the stomach, pushing him back. But before she could attack again, the world around her seemed to stop momentarily. Lani looked down to see the jagged blade of the enemy behind her sticking out of her middle. Blood ran down her chin as he ripped it out. Lani dropped to her knees as the remaining men encircled her.

"I won't let you take me…" she said weakly. "I won't!"

They grabbed a hold of her arms and she tried to pull away, but there were too many of them.

"Let me go!" Lani yelled, slashing at them in her Dark form. "I will kill you all! Let go of me!"

She bit the man's hand, drawing some blood. Annoyed of her screaming, he elbowed her in the back of the head.

"Jak…" Lani muttered as blackness engulfed her. They threw her into the back of their buggy and sped off into the desert, taking their fallen with them.

Jak, Daxter, Damas and his assistant arrived at the location the tracking signal had come from.

"It seems we've just missed them." Damas said.

There was nothing but blood stains and some unidentifiable air vehicle, charred from the fire consuming it. Moments later it exploded in a ball of flames. Its burning pieces scattered the desert sand. There were tire tracks leading off into the Wastelands.

"What happened here?" Daxter asked.

"Marauders most likely." Damas said.

"Should we follow their tracks?" Jak asked.

"No." Damas said. "Not unless you want to die in their territory. Whatever it was giving off that signal, they've taken it with them. There's nothing left here for us."

"We came all this way for nothing?!" Daxter said.

"Looks that way, huh Dax?" Jak said.

"We need to get back to the city." Damas said. "Unless you want to be ripped apart by the sand."

Having lost sight of their signal, the four Wastelanders trekked back to Spargus City.


	5. The Plot

Chapter 5:

The Plot

Lani opened her eyes to find herself within a dim, damp cell. Head throbbing and body shivering from the climate change, she tried to stand up, only to realize she was chained to the wall by her wrists. The chains clanked loudly, echoing off of the concrete calls as she panicked, trying to pull her hands out of the cuffs.

"Shh!"

Lani suddenly stopped struggling at the sound from within the cell. Looking across the room she saw a girl about her age in a similar state. Her silver hair hung in her face.

"Wha—what's going on?" Lani asked. "Who are you?!"

"Will you just quiet down for a bit?" the girl asked. "We're probably in the same situation here and if you don't be quiet they might—"

She fell silent as voices could be heard on the other side of the door.

"The new one is in here." One of the men said. "She has powers just like the one in Spargus."

"So her body's already capable of withstanding Eco…?" the second man asked.

"Yes." The first marauder said. "Which means the procedures should work fine. Unlike the others…The boss wants her to be at least twice as strong as the boy by the time our next attack on Spargus occurs."

"He is pretty powerful I've heard…Should we triple her intake then?"

"Why not? A little extra wouldn't hurt…I doubt she'd be missed if it is too much anyway. We still have the Blue Eco girl."

The two girls heard the lock click and watched as the iron door swung open, revealing two masked men. Lani's heart raced at the sight of them.

"Let me go you bastards!" she said to them, glaring. They only laughed.

"But we're just getting to the good parts." One of them said.

"What do you want with me?" Lani asked, angered. "Why did you bring me here?"

"We have a little treat for you." The other said. "It'll be worth your time here."

Lani couldn't help but look at him suspiciously at those words, but his mask hid all of his facial expressions, though she was sure he was smiling. They walked over to her.

"Pumping more Eco into me huh?" Lani said, having over heard their conversation. "Go right ahead. I'll just break out of these chains and rip you all to pieces."

"You talk big for such a little girl. But in the end, it's nothing but words."

"We'll see about that. I'll use your experimentation effects against you. And I'll make that a promise."

"Enough. It's time to begin."

One of the marauders began to unlock the chains so they could take her to where the experiments were being done. She kicked one of the marauders in the leg. Angered, he punched her in the side of the face. She spit blood on his mask before being grabbed by the hair and pushed face down to the floor by the second marauder who retied her limbs together. He slung her over her his shoulder and carried her off, yelling and squirming all the way.

They dropped her into a stone chair and strapped her in. They made sure her arms and legs were secured tightly to prevent her from breaking loose. They began attaching sensors to her body to keep track of the levels and stability of the Eco within her body during the experiment.

Lani struggled, though it was no use. She glanced over at the masked men, wondering why they would possibly consider forcing more Dark Eco into her body. Fear began to arise in her heart, knowing too much exposure to the substance was fatal. She swallowed as one of the men pulled a lever and the sound of gears warming up and revolving filled the room. Multiple laser gun-like machines dropped down from the ceiling and surrounded her. Each one gently pressed against her arms and legs. The tips of the guns began to glow a deep purple and the marauder controlling the device pushed a button. Pain filled her entire body as the Dark Eco was injected into her body. She couldn't help but scream out in agony.

Finally, the machine stopped. Lani slumped in the chair, her breathing heavy. The marauders approached her and reached for her restraints. She glared up at them and the Dark Eco instantly took over her body, her horns and claws emerging. Though still tied down, her Dark self viciously tried to attack. They backed away, one of them turning the machine back on. Dark Lani screamed out in pain again before finally blacking out. The Marauders quickly unstrapped her and dragged her unconscious body back to her holding cell.

Lani awoke to find herself chained to the cell wall again. She pulled on the chains again, though it was no use.

"Why do you struggle so much?" the girl from across the room asked, watching Lani curiously.

"Because I don't have time to sit here and deal with this again." Lani said bitterly. "I've had enough Eco injections to last me a life time."

"So you already had Eco within you before you came here?" the girl asked.

"Unfortunately." Lani said. "What's it matter anyway?"

"I think they're planning some kind of attack on a nearby city." She said. "They've been bringing people here they've found stranded and testing different types of Eco on them. I've been here for a month or two now. I was headed back to Kras City from Haven when the air train crashed here."

"Are they filling you with Dark too?" Lani asked.

"Yes."The girl said. "But they've also used some Blue Eco on me."

"Blue and Dark?" Lani said, shocked. "I've never heard of mixing Eco before…"

"Most people here are victims of Dark Eco injections from what I've heard." The girl said. "They've recently started combining them. But you're the first person to come here already affected by any type. Where are you from?"

"Haven City." Lani said.

"That explains it then." The girl said. "I guess word of his experiments traveled. What brought you all the way out here?"

"A friend of mine." Lani said, looking down at the dirty floor. "I was hoping to bring him back to Haven with me, but now I'm stuck here…Wherever here is…"

"You're not really going to try and escape, are you…?"

"Damn right I am." Lani said smirking. "These marauders aren't using me for their wars. If you want to let them use you then that's your choice. But I'm not staying here."

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"I go by Lani. You?"

"Kayla." The girl said. "Since you're planning to break out of this place I guess I'll join you. I was afraid I'd never make it out if I tried on my own—"

There came a loud _click _and the cell door swung open. Two marauders entered the room, one of them grabbing Kayla by her silver hair and leading her out. Lani felt helpless. The second marauder faced her.

"Why the sad face?" He asked. "You're coming too."

She tried to kick at him but the chains held her back. The marauder grabbed her leg, undid her chains and dragged her off.

Every day she went through the same routine; being dragged off, strapped down and put through excruciating pain until the Eco took over her body causing her to black out, only to wake up and have it start all over again.

Many days had past when Lani began giving up hope and stopped fighting back when being taken to the experimentation room. Kayla noticed Lani's fighting spirit slowly diminishing and feared that neither of them would ever get out.

Jak drove his buggie out into the desert in search of artifacts that were uncovered by the last sandstorm. As he drove, he caught a glimpse of the sun reflecting off of something metal. He made a sharp U-turn, churning up dust and sand as he headed for the glint of light.

He came to a sliding stop, recognizing the blue vehicle parked in the sand. It was a Freedom League air cruiser. Jak wondered what it was doing all the way out here. He hopped out of the buggy and cautiously approached the cruiser as a thin, red haired woman emerged from the air vehicle.

"Ashelin?" Daxter asked, shocked. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Haven City needs your desperately help, Jak." Ashelin said.

"Why should I risk my life to help a city that doesn't even want me in it?" Jak asked.

"We need you back." Ashelin said.

"Do it yourself." Jak said shortly. "I'm sure the rest of you can handle whatever it is you're having problems with on your own."

"We've been under fire from metal heads and KG robots since you two left." Ashelin said.

"Wow that's new." Jak said. "But it's not going to change anything."

"Have Lani take care of it." Dax said. "She's tough. And she loves metal heads."

Ashelin looked at them, startled.

"But…Isn't she out here…? With you?" she asked.

"Why would she be?" Jak asked. "She escaped Veger and his death sentence, remember?"

"She took a cruiser and came out here looking for you about a week ago." Ashelin said. "She was coming to bring you two back to help. I gave her a tracking beacon and everything to make sure she made it to you safely…You never saw her?"

"No…" Jak said, now worried. "I…I didn't even know…But, how did you even know that we would still be alive to meet up with her?"

"It's a long story…" Ashelin said. "But that beacon would have given you guys a signal to her arrival. Didn't you receive anything?"

"A week ago huh…" Daxter thought aloud. "Hey, Damas had us accompany him out into the desert looking for something, remember?"

"That's right!" Jak said. "He said it could have been either a person left or an artifact. But when we got there, there was only blood and mangled bits of metal…"

"Then, that means…" Daxter said, his ears drooping.

"Shit!" Jak yelled, slamming his fist on the hood of his buggy. "If only we had gotten there ten minutes sooner they wouldn't have gotten to her…"

"They…?" Ashelin asked.

"Marauders…" Daxter said. "Big, ugly guys if you ask me."

"We have to get her back." Jak said. "Next time I see one of those thugs, I'm going to tear him apart."

Ashelin pointed off into the distance at a cloud of smoke.

"Looks like you'll get your chance right now." She said.

The enemy vehicles circled around Jak, Daxter and Ashelin. The marauders exited their buggies and charged at them, swords raised. Jak and Ashelin pulled out their guns and began firing.

Finally, Jak faced the final marauder. He bashed the man in the head with the end of his gun. Jak grabbed the man's shoulder plate strap and pulled him towards him.

"Where is she?!" Jak asked "I know you bastards have her and I want to know where she is right now!"

The marauder only laughed from behind his mask.

"The Eco girl?" The marauder asked. "Yeah, we have her. We've got plans for that one."

The man laughed more, coughing blood which ran down his chest.

"She thinks she'll escape…her and her little friend…but they're not going anywhere." He continued. "Chained to the wall by their arms…Ha, those girls aren't going anywhere."

Furious, Jak began to pummel the marauder in the face, the Dark Eco in his body taking over as his eyes turned black and horns formed.

"Tell me where the hell you're keeping her!" Jak said loudly, continuing to beat the man.

"You'll…never…find her…" the marauder said. He fell silent.

"God dammit!" Jak yelled, pushing the marauder's body to the ground.

"Jak, just calm down." Ashelin said worriedly.

"How can you tell me to calm down?!" Jak said facing her, his black eyes filled with frustration. "Lani is out there somewhere locked up with these people doing who knows what to her!"

"I know you're upset, but getting angry isn't going to bring her back and you know it Jak." Ashelin said.

Jak sighed heavily and his Eco powers faded, his appearance returning to normal.

"I'm not going to let them get away with this." Jak said, irritated. "I'll go see if Damas can tell me where to find them."

He turned his back on Ashelin and headed back to his buggy.

"Good luck Jak." She said. "Don't forget about the rest of us."

Jak said nothing at her last words before speeding off back to Spargus City. Ashelin shook her head and climbed into her cruiser.

Lately, they had been putting more than just Dark Eco into Lani's body. She assumed it was Light Eco, but since it was so rare, she wasn't too sure. Whatever it was, it was trying to balance itself with the Dark Eco and changing her appearance even more while in the Eco enhanced state, sometimes one Eco type taking over more than the other. But she could never remember what happened during the time she was in those forms. Whatever it was, it appeared to be dangerous. Kayla always appeared pale faced and shaky whenever Lani regained consciousness. The marauders began keeping a closer eye on her since the Eco change as well. They even increased the amount of chains keeping her in her cell, now locked up by the ankles and neck.

The two girls sat quietly in their cell shivering, the chains attached to them gently clinking together. It was freezing, the skirts and small shirts that were given to them as prison clothes were made out of some kind of animal hide, not nearly enough to keep them warm in this environment. Both were barefoot and could see their breath with each exhale. Lani's stomach growled, for they did not get fed that much. Only what was necessary to keep them alive until the next experiment.

Lani was almost glad that her new powers were uncontrollable. The marauders kept their distance and couldn't figure out a way to keep her in check long enough to do their work. Kayla found their plan was to use them both and the other surviving experiments to penetrate the gates of Spargus City, the city Lani assumed Jak was located in back in the Wastelands. But Lani's faulty Eco levels were causing troubles. They couldn't have her losing control and killing their own men before the plan was executed. Unlike Kayla, the two Eco types in Lani's body were still unbalanced and the marauders were desperately trying to even them out before their plan was to be launched. They were getting closer.

Jak rushed into the throne room before Damas.

"I need to know where these marauders hide out." Jak said angrily.

"Marauders?" Damas questioned. "What business would you possibly have with them?"

"That beacon we went out looking for," Jak explained quickly, "the one the marauders got to…It was someone looking for me. I need to find them."

"That was quite a while ago Jak." Damas said. "Knowing the marauders, who ever you're looking for is either one of them, or even dead by now."

"No, she's not dead!" Jak said, his voice raising. "I just spoke to one of those assholes and he said they've got her locked up."

"And you'd take a marauder's word on that?" Damas asked. "It's foolishness. They live across the sea out in the Icelands, but you're not going there."

"I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing while she's chained up somewhere--!"

"Enough!" Damas said, standing up. "If you wish to stay in this city, or even survive for that matter I suggest you learn your place. Fate has brought you here and left her with them and you need to accept that. She chose to come out in these lands and now she's facing the consequences. There's nothing anyone can do for her."

Jak only stood there, clenching his fists. He couldn't believe the things he was hearing.

"Now get out, the two of you have work to do."Damas said turning away.

Angry, Jak stormed out of the throne room with Daxter on his shoulder.

There came a loud click, and the door to her cell swung open. Lani glared up at the men, not moving a muscle as they came to take her off, once again, and fill her with more Eco.

They approached her cautiously, and she smirked knowing her power struck even a slight amount of fear in them. They unlocked her chains and escorted her off to where the experiments were conducted. Lani flashed a mischievous smile at Kayla.

"It's almost time for you do what we've been modified you to do." One marauder said. "Spargus City will soon be ours."

"Ha. You can't make me do anything." Lani said viciously.

"You will do as we tell you." The other said. "Or you will face death."

"I'd sooner die than take orders from thugs like you!" Lani said.

She broke out of their grip and kicked one of the men in the stomach, pushing him back. The first marauder swung his sword at her and she ducked, hooking him behind his knee with her leg. He fell to the ground and she stomped on his ribs, cracking them. The sound of his bones sent a sudden urge to kill through her body.

She smiled evilly at the remaining marauder as the Eco took over her like never before, feeling much more powerful. Purple and blue markings appeared on her face, sides, ears and shoulders, her eyes turning black. Long black horns and claws emerged along with a devil-like tail as her hair turned white. Lani pulled her arms apart, breaking the cuffs that bound her, forming an Eco charged ball of energy in her hands, the blue markings starting to fade as the darkness began to consume her.

She hesitated a moment before attacking, attempting to keep control over her powers long enough to escape. She heard the voices of other marauders heading her way. She slammed the Eco ball against the marauder, killing him instantly and took off down the hall.

She re-entered the jail cell, and faced Kayla who was still chained. She began to shake as Lani walked towards her, knowing that Lani had no control over her actions in this form. Lani charged up a ball of Dark energy and swung it at Kayla.

There came the sound of clinking metal as Kayla's chains fell to the ground. She looked up and noticed the smile upon her dirty face.

"Let's get out of here." Lani said, holding out her hand.

Once out of sight, the two girls slipped into a stock closet. Lani's Eco powers faded as the mob of angry marauders ran past the door. Quietly, they searched for armor and weapons.

When everything seemed clear, they walked out of the closet, pulling masks over their faces. They walked casually down the hall, a jagged sword hanging from each girl's side. Marauders passed them, seeming oblivious to their escape. The coldness of the air increased as they continued on.

Kayla pushed open a door to a large open space. It was full of marauders and on the other side of the square was the gate to their freedom. It was freezing, and their bodies began to shake from the exposure to the icy air. They both took a deep breath and headed for the gate.

"There they are! Stop them!"

Lani spun around to see a group of marauders pursuing them. With no other choice, she broke into a run, Kayla following close behind. The other marauders in the area noticed the chase and closed in on them. Lani pulled out her sword and began to fight them off.

One by one, the marauders fell to the ground. The girls were halfway there when one of the men jumped at Lani, grabbing hold onto her legs, slamming her against the ground. She lost grip of her sword and it slid across the icy ground and out of sight amongst the gang of marauders. Lani back slashed him, her claws coming out. Her amplified strength knocked him off of her just long enough for her to kick him in the face, smashing his mask in. She jumped up and let her new Eco abilities take over her. The blue and purple markings appeared again as her horns grew out and her eyes turned black, though this time, the irises of her eyes turned white. Her hair paled and a long tail appeared. Hesitantly, Kayla went on without her, hoping to find a method of escape before it was too late.

Lani slammed her fists against the ground, a wave of purple and blue sparks erupting from the ground and shocking every surrounding marauder. Lani looked at her hands and down at the bodies scattered before her. She turned to see another group of marauders coming towards her. She growled at them and ran on.

The front gates burst open and a group of dune buggies zoomed in, firing at her with no mercy. Desperate to get out, she dodged their bullets, listening to the groans of pain as marauders fell from their comrades' stray fire. The desert vehicles got closer and Lani leapt into the air, large angel-like wings appearing. The marauders watched in awe as she charged up and blazing ball of purple energy and dive bombed one of the cars. There came a flash of light, then fire and pieces of metal raining down from the sky. The marauders turned their vehicles around and pursued Lani as she rushed out of the gates.

It was like a winter wonderland, but she didn't have time to marvel at the scenery. Occasionally, Lani would toss an Eco orb behind her, taking down another buggy. Marauders watched the chase from their windows. A buggy pulled up beside Lani and aimed its guns directly at her. It suddenly exploded into flaming bits of metal as another buggy pulled up with Kayla in the driver's seat. Lani grabbed hold of the vehicle's frame and swung in, as Kayla sped down off the frosty streets.

Jak and Daxter finally arrived in Haven City, and what a mess it had become. Metal heads running rampant across every part of town, KG robots firing missiles and flames blazing all over. With gun in hand, Jak made his way to the refurbished section of town.

The large doors slid open and they walked inside the Freedom League headquarters.

"Jak!" came a girl's voice as Keira came running across the room to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's so good to see you again."

"Yeah, maybe for some." Jak said.

"Still no luck I see…" Tess said, having heard the news about Lani from Ashelin.

Jak only shook his head.

"We can't even get directions to where she is." Daxter said.

"We told her not to go out there alone." Keira said crossing her arms, pretending she cared. "But she just wouldn't listen. Now look where it's gotten her."

"I really just hope she's doing better than how she sounds…" Jak said. "Chained up somewhere out in the Icelands…All of this happened because I didn't get there soon enough…And now, I don't even know how to rescue her…He won't let me take any of the vehicles out past certain points...I've never felt so useless…"

"Cheer up Jak." Ashelin said. "She's tough, you said so yourself. I don't think she'll let those marauders take her down without a fight."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right…" Jak said.

"I'll send some air vehicles out that way to see what they can find." Torn said. "In the meantime, there's work to be done. Those metal heads are beginning to piss me off."

It was quite a trip, but Kayla and Lani finally made it out of the Icelands and away from the marauders. Lani's Eco powers had long since receded and her lungs were relieved after breathing in such bitter cold air for so long. The climate slowly heated up as they approached the desert once more. Lani pushed her mask off to take in the sunlight. Its warm rays felt good against her skin. Kayla parked atop a sandy hill and looked out over the desert. In the distance she saw what looked like a city.

"That must be Spargus…" Kayla said to Lani.

"Which means Jak isn't that far away." Lani said.

There came a rumbling from behind and she turned to see a large vehicle approaching them, though it wasn't built like the marauders' vehicles.

"Dammit, what now…" Kayla muttered in frustration.

The vehicle pulled alongside them. It looked almost like a Haven City air train, but with wheels. Two men emerged from the front, each with a long gun. Neither of them wore masks like the marauders. Both men pointed their weapons at the girls and they quickly put their hands in the air.

"Look guys, I don't know what's going on right now, but whatever it is we had nothing to do with it." Lani said.

"Likely story." One of the men said. "We know your type. Always causing trouble every time you show your masked faces. Well not this time."

"Wait, you think we're one of those horrid bastards?" Kayla asked. "No, no, no. Those things kidnapped us."

"We_ just_ broke out of their prison!" Lani said. "All I want is to find my friend and go back home."

"Bullshit." The other man said. "You're coming with us marauders."

"You don't understand. We're not—"

"Just shut up and get in the back."

"Screw you!"

"Don't make this harder on yourself."

"I'm not letting you take us anywhere! After all we went through with those marauders there's no way in hell I'm going—"

Lani stopped short as pain shot through her heart, the Eco mix flowing through her veins. She fell to her knees. The other men continued to point their guns as a precaution. It was quiet for a moment.

"Lani…?" Kayla asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Lani slowly looked up at the men and began to laugh. What looked like a yin yang began to appear on her forehead, only it was purple and blue. The purple half of the mark was greater than the blue, as if it was gauging the Eco types consuming her. Her eyes had turned black and her irises white. She bared her sharp fangs in a wicked smile and continued to laugh.

"You think I'd let you take me…" Lani said. "After having them do this to me…? I don't think so..."

She rose to her feet, never once diverting her attention away from the men. Without hesitation, one fired his gun, striking her in the arm with his bullet. Blood splattered against the side of the marauder buggy and the warm sand.

"Lani!" Kayla yelled, stepping towards her.

Lani yelled out and charged at the men, and he fired again, this time hitting her in the side. She stumbled and fell into the ground, her blood staining the sand. She felt weak from malnutrition and so much use of her new abilities. Her body trembled as she clutched her side wound.

"Help us…" she pleaded.

The men grabbed her by the arms and dragged her to their vehicle. One of them aimed his gun back at Kayla who reluctantly followed. They cuffed their hands together as the back hatch opened, revealing several imprisoned marauders. Lani's eyes widened and they tossed her into the back, closing the hatch and driving off towards the city.


	6. Final Battle

Chapter 6:

Final Battle

Hands tied behind their backs, the marauders were herded into large boxes surrounding the edges of some kind of arena. Lani stopped to take a look at the surroundings.

The walls were lined with seats and in the center of the stadium was what looked like a throne. It was hotter here than it was out in the open sun, the platform on which they stood surrounded by molten lava, bursting in bubbles of heat.

One of the men jabbed his gun into her back, pushing her on into the pen before tossing a bag in and closing them all in darkness.

Jak approached Damas, still angered by their last meeting. Damas could see in Jak's face the struggle he was having with himself to hold his tongue about the incident.

"You're last battle amulet still awaits you." Damas said. "There is yet another group of marauders being held in the arena for you to face off with. I'm sure you'd enjoy nothing less."

Jak said nothing as he clenched his fists at the sound of the desert thugs.

"The people were dissatisfied with your last battle." Damas said. "This is your final chance. Win and citizenship is yours. Don't disappoint me again."

Damas tossed Jak a gun modification. He accepted and turned his back on the sand king, heading down to the battle arena.

The marauders sat silently in the darkness. The sound of the lava flow moved steadily under their pen. Lani slammed her fist against the wall.

"I can't take this anymore." She said frustrated. "They could have at least told us what we're in here for."

"Isn't it obvious?" One of the marauders said. "They're going to kill us. Why don't you just accept your fate and shut up…"

"Hey, no one asked you—"

"Shh." Kayla interrupted. "There's someone outside."

The pen went silent again as they listened. There was a distant chatter as someone entered the stadium, quickly growing louder as the room filled. The air was full of excitement as the crowd talked amongst themselves.

The marauders got to their knees and began feeling around for the bag that had been left behind with them. There was the clanking of metal as the jagged swords scattered across the floor. The crowd grew louder, the room buzzing with excitement. Panicking, the marauders all dived for the swords. Lani and Kayla pulled their masks back down over their faces and joined in.

The crowd cheered loudly as Jak walked out into the center of the arena.

"Welcome to back to the battlefield!" Damas' bird assistant Pecker called out to the crowd. "Today Jak will face down yet another group of marauders in a battle to the death!"

Jak pulled out his gun and readied it in his hand, grasping it firmly at the thought of coming face to face with the marauders once again.

"This is Jak's final match." Pecker announced. "Now, let the games begin!"

The hatch to the holding pen opened, the light and heat flooding in. The marauders that managed to grab swords charged out each time the gate opened.

Kayla reached down for the sword but one of the marauders grabbed hold of it at the same time. They looked at each other.

"Just give up kid." He said to her. "Whatever is out there, you probably won't survive whether you have this sword or not."

"So give me the sword so I'll have a better chance." Kayla said pulling it closer to her. "You're a big, strong man…You need this."

"I don't think so."

Kayla pulled the sword away and began to run in the opposite direction. The marauder lunged at her, grabbing onto her legs and bringing her down to the ground. The sword slid across the floor. Lani quickly picked it up as Kayla wriggled one of her legs free, kicking the marauder in the face. His mask crushed under the force pushing the metal into his face. He released her legs in pain and she rose to her feet. Lani tossed the sword back to her and before he had a chance to react, the sword penetrated his torso. Blood splattered against the back wall as the man fell to the ground. Lani walked over to them and looked down at the fallen marauder.

"Guess he wasn't as strong as we had thought—" Lani was cut short as one of the remaining marauders caught her in a headlock and began to cut off her air. He was much bigger than her, his grip lifting her off of the ground. She had no choice but to use it.

Letting a bit of the Dark Eco consume her, she dug her claws into his arm before sinking her teeth in. She felt him wince a little but it only angered him more. Suddenly he released his grip, doubled over in pain as Lani's tail had emerged, hitting him in his lower area. She smirked before elbowing him in his jaw, knocking him to the ground. The hatch began to open once again and the marauder began to crawl towards it, suddenly falling out as Kayla helped him along with her foot.

There came coughing from behind them as the fallen marauder began spitting out blood. The girls turned to see him sitting up.

"You think that little blade is enough to take me down kid?" he said clutching his wound. He took off his impacted mask and tossed it aside as he got to his feet. The sight of the blood dripping down his torso sparked something inside of Lani. A bloodthirsty smile spread across her face as the Eco continued to overtake her, her horns emerging. Kayla backed away as Lani approached the marauder.

The marauder rose to his feet, shaking in pain from Lani's tail hitting him in his most sensitive parts. He looked down to see the laser pointer of a gun centered over his heart. He looked up to see Jak, his gun steady with anger plastered on his face.

"Go ahead and shoot." The marauder said. "I'm sure it'll be a lot less painful that whatever _she'll _do to me."

"I'd love to." Jak said. But before he could pull the trigger the hatch opened once more and a second marauder came flying out. His body hit hard and slid across the arena floor before coming to a stop next to the first marauder. His body began to shake in fear.

"Well, there's one less marauder you have to take care of." Daxter said looking at the badly beaten man. "Where's the fun when they're already dead?"

"She's coming…" the marauder said. He quickly got to his feet and began to run but Jak shot him dead before he got too far.

"Crazy one if you ask me." Daxter said. "What do you think he's talking about?"

"Beats me." Jak said. "But we've got two left. Let's bring them down."

There was no motion around the arena. The audience was quiet, the air full of anticipation. Jak scanned the area with him gun but there was no one to be seen.

He quickly aimed back at one of the pens as the sound of footsteps grew louder. The hatch opened and a smaller, thinner marauder jumped down into the arena. Her large feathered wings spread out to their full extent as she faced the two Wastelanders, her tail swinging from side to side.

"Whoa!" Daxter yelled. "What is that thing?!"

"I don't know Dax." Jak answered. "But it looks angry."

Blue disks of energy formed in each of her hands.

"Oh shit…" Daxter said. "Quick Jak, take it down!"

The marauder girl charged at them, throwing the energy disks at the boys. Jak fired bullets at them but it was no use. He dodged just in time as the disks exploded into a wave of electric bolts against the ground. Jak looked up but she was gone.

He quickly turned around to see her reappear in a flash behind him, punching him in the side of the face. He stumbled, shortly regaining his balance but again she was nowhere in sight. He looked over his shoulder to see her standing behind him, a little purple ball in her hand. Spreading her wings, she took flight, throwing the little ball.

Jak jumped aside as it hit the ground, a pillar of Eco energy erupting from the ground where it had made contact. Jak tried to increase his distance from her quickly so he could counter her attacks as the Eco balls rained down on him, the columns of energy following closely behind him. She laughed evilly from the air as one of the pillars grazed his arm, burning him. She began charging up a large electrified ball. Jak aimed his gun at her as it reached its full size.

Crimson drops stained the ground as the shells pierced the marauder's flesh. She looked down at the red streaming down her torso. Annoyed, she tossed the ball into the air. It expanded to twice its original size before imploding in on itself, bursting into many smaller spheres like a firework, purple and blue in color.

Jak's bullets showered down on her again in a frenzy of blue streaks. The marauder's wings collapsed from the constant hits, propelling her down to the ground. There was no way to soften the impact.

The crowd cheered loudly with excitement as she hit the ground, churning dust and sand into the air. Painfully, the marauder forced herself into the sitting position, her wings broken and crooked. She turned her head, only to find herself staring down the barrel of Jak's gun.

"It's over." He said with his finger on the trigger.

The world around him suddenly turned white as the marauder girl emitted a blinding light from her hands. Jak's eyes finally refocused to see the girl's fist coming towards his face once more. He blocked the attack with his arm. Turning, he elbowed her in the ribs and grabbed her wrist, pulling her over his shoulder and slamming her to the stone ground.

The stadium roared again. The girl's breathing was shorter than before with each inhale, the impact having knocked the wind out of her. Through the eye holes in her horned mask she saw the anger in Jak's face. Rolling over onto her front, she shakily rose to her feet.

"She just won't stop." Jak said.

"Well look at it!" Daxter said. "I think it wants to eat us!"

She stood before them, blood dripping down her left side. She vanished once again and Jak steadied himself. She reappeared with a sliding stop behind him and charged at him. Spinning around, Jak swung his gun, hitting the marauder in the face. Her mask flew across the arena but she charged on. Flinging herself on top of Jak, she slashed her claws towards his face with fury. His gun slid away from him.

"Holy crap!" Daxter exclaimed.

"Oh my god…" was all Jak could get out as he held her back. He could see the intent to kill in her black and white eyes. His attention was suddenly drawn to the markings on her forehead. It was shaped like a yin yang only purple and blue, the purple section completely full with only a hint of blue in the top half.

She was out of control and Jak finally decided he had to take her down, no matter how much it hurt inside.

"Dax, toss me the gun!" Jak called back to him.

"But, but—"

"Just do it!"

Daxter ran over to the morph gun as Jak pushed the marauder back with his foot. She stumbled a bit before coming at him again, but having been reacquainted with his weapon Jak swung the gun at her, making contact with the side of her head. She fell to the ground out cold.

Jak sat on the warm ground breathing heavily as everything flashed through his mind again.

"Dammit…!" he swore to himself slamming his fists against the ground. Daxter's ears drooped as he approached the unconscious marauder.

"What seems to be the problem now Jak?" Damas yelled down to them, rising to his feet. "You've been so hateful towards the marauders lately and yet you let this one live? Finish her off!"

"No!" Jak unintentionally yelled back. "Not this one…"

"She nearly ripped your face off and you're going to spare her?" Damas asked.

"She's my friend." Jak said, looking down at her. The entire crowd's cheers dropped down to nothing more than whispers.

"I don't care what she is to you." Damas said. "Kill her or I will."

"Then take me out first." Jak said. The crowd was completely silent with his bold statement. "You can throw me out of this city all you want, but I won't let you touch her."

"You dare talk to me in that matter—?!" Damas began, fired up. But Pecker flew in an observed the scene.

"Now, now I'm sure this can be settled in a less violent way." Pecker said flying down to Jak's level. "Whoever this is about is probably not worth the fighting anyway—Holy yakows, it's Lani!"

"Way to notice birdbrain…" Daxter said.

"The beacon signals you had gotten a while back, they were hers." Jak explained to Damas. "She came here from Haven City to bring me back, but the marauders got to her first. Please, if you'll just let her—"

"And why should I allow this beast into my city?" Damas asked. "It's clear that she is out of control."

"You let _us_ stay the city!" Daxter said. "Besides, she hasn't always been like this. The wings, the marks, that's all new."

"She chose to come out here on her own accord, you said so yourself." Damas said. "Fate has sent her to those marauders and brought you here. Just accept what she has become and finish what you have started."

"But she's just a kid…" Jak said. "Those thugs did something to her. And I want to find out what."

Pecker flew back to Damas' side.

"He's right my lord." Pecker said. "I've never seen her like this before. But if Jak can keep Lani's new powers under control, she could be of great use to us in the future."

"Or the death of us all." Damas said.

"That too." Pecker agreed. "But if I may say… Jak's like a role model to her from what I've seen back in Haven City. With authority over him, she'll pretty much do whatever you want."

Jak watched from the arena as Pecker and Damas discussed the situation. Damas didn't seem convinced.

"I know you're a tough guy to please," Daxter said, "but I'm sure you're not that heartless—"

"Enough." Damas said. "I know I'm going to regret this later…If you can assure me she won't cause any trouble whatsoever I will allow her to stay."

Jak and Daxter both sighed heavily in relief.

"As of now it's only safe to assume she is working with the marauders." Damas continued. "She is to stay locked up and guarded at all times. Unlike you, she seems incapable of controlling herself and I'm not taking any chances. If I catch her out of place, I'll see to it that all three of you suffer the consequences. "

Jak nodded and went back to Lani's side and gently picked her up, her body hanging limply in his arms. He looked down at her face and noticed the mark on her forehead was nearly complete. He figured it was the Eco types balancing themselves inside of her though she was unconscious. Jak started walking towards the arena's exit.

"Jak…" Damas said. "I do believe you are forgetting something."

Jak looked up at him confused until he heard the footsteps growing quicker and louder behind him. He stepped aside just in time as the last marauder slammed her fist against the ground, bolts of purple Eco bursting from the point of impact.

Small black horns were visible behind her mask with blue electric currents flowing around them. Tail swaying, her bat like wings opened as she charged at them again.

"Another one?!" Daxter said.

"Let her go!" she yelled at him continuing her attacks. With Lani in his arms, all Jak could do was dodge the best he could, trying not to get her more injured than she already was.

It was a flurry of electricity, purple bolts flying in every direction. It was almost impossible for Jak to avoid their hits for the girl was unbelievably fast. The bolts traveled through the ground, emerging right below him. Jak swore to himself as the Eco bolts made contact with his leg, instantly numbing it. Unable to support himself he fell to the ground, rolling into a little ball on impact to soften the landing for him and Lani both.

"I guess we need to fight fire with fire." Jak said as his skin paled and horns began forming, his eyes turning black. When the marauder was close enough, Jak slammed his fist down, a large wave of energy flowing through the ground and knocking the girl back. She slid a few feet before stopping, the ground hot against her skin from the lava below. She sat up to avoid being burned only to find a gun barrel in her face.

"You're done for." Daxter said holding the gun steady as Jak approached them with Lani slung over his shoulder.

"I don't know what you people want from us…" the marauder girl said pushing up her mask. "But I won't let you take her…She risked her life to get us out of that place."

"What place?" Daxter asked.

"Why, so you can send us back?" she asked. "Or do you just want the information so you can finish what they started? You're one of us…so you must already be in on their plans. I won't allow you to take her!"

"I don't have time for this." Frustrated, Jak grabbed her by her collar and lifted her off the ground. "It's because of you she's like this. You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do with her."

"You don't understand…" the girl said. "She helped me break out and now I'm going to help her…If you'd seen what we were put through… I'm not just going to let you take her and have all of her efforts go to waste…Not without a fight."

"What's it to you?" Jak asked, Dark Eco bolts pulsing through his clenched fist. He looked into her black eyes and saw her determination.

"It's none of your business…" she said.

"It is our business!" Jak yelled at her. "You think I'm just going to leave her like this after she put her life on the line to come out here and find me?"

"You're the one she's been looking for…?"

"Yeah, and no one is taking her out of here but me." Jak said releasing the girl and returning to his normal state. She too returned to normal, her wings receding. "So you were locked up with her?"

The marauder girl nodded. Jak turned back to Damas who had witnessed the entire argument. He looked even more displeased than before, anticipating what was to come next.

"She was also taken in by the marauders." Jak said to him gesturing towards Kayla. "If it would be alright with you, I'd like to question her and find out what those marauders are doing out there."

Damas turned his back to them and walked out of the stadium without a word.

"I'll take that as a yes…" Daxter said.

"You're lucky."Jak said turning back to her. "I don't think he's ever been this generous."

"I'm glad to hear that." Kayla said.

"You should be." Jak said. "You, unlike most of the marauders that have come in here get to walk out with your life. If Lani hadn't shown up in this battle you would have been dead by now."

Kayla looked up at the audience. All the Wastelanders muttered amongst themselves at the turn of events.

"Come on." Jak said walking towards the exit. "Let's get out of here before they start throwing things at us. I'd like to ask you some questions about the marauders if you don't mind?"

"That's fine." Kayla said following after him.


	7. Deja Vu

Chapter 7:

Déjà vu

Her eyes popped open as the terrible sound of clinking chains rang through her ears, flashing images of the Icelandic cell through her mind. She squinted as her eyes took in all of the sunlight flooding into the room. Once her eyes adjusted she overlooked her surroundings.

Lani looked down at the cuffs around her wrists that attached themselves to chains leading the stone floor on each side of her. She didn't even bother fighting it, having no energy left in her body to resist what was coming next. She sighed deeply and winces as pain surged through her back. Looking up she saw her large feathered wings outstretched and suspended by large hooks hanging from the ceiling. The light purple feathers turned to red as they soaked in her blood. Hopeless, she hung her head, her white hair hiding her face.

The door to the cell swung open but Lani didn't bother to look up. Whoever it was came walking over to her, seemingly unafraid. As the footsteps grew nearer, Lani ran all of the possible options she had for escape through her head. This was not going to happen to her again.

From behind her hair, Lani saw a man's hand coming towards her face. She quickly raised her head and lunged out, attempting to bite the hand that had approached her. He drew back and she growled at him, his deep blue eyes filling with worry as he looked into her vengeful dark eyes. His attention was drawn to the mark on her forehead; almost completely balanced. There was a moment's silence before her eyes softened.

"Jak…?" Lani couldn't help the tears that had filled her eyes from rolling down her cheeks at the sight of her friend. He knelt down beside her and put her arms around her as the others entered. "I never thought I'd see you again…"

"I know but I'm here now." he said wiping her tears away. "Everything's going to be alright."

"Why am I in these chains?" Lani asked a little panicked. "They're hurting me…I want out."

"Damas won't let us." Jak said.

"He says he doesn't want to 'take any chances' with you running free in the city." Daxter said.

"Like this is my fault…" Lani said looking down at the floor.

"Don't feel bad Lani." Kayla said holding up her cuffed hands. "He's making me stay in here also."

"Damas…" Lani repeated the name to herself. "He was supposed to meet me…Ashelin told me he would..."

"He did!" Daxter said.

"We did…" Jak corrected. "But the marauders…"

"How did you even find me?" Lani asked.

"You were brought in as one of the marauders I was supposed to defeat." Jak explained. "You were one of the last ones I faced off with. You were in this state and didn't even recognize us."

"I didn't hurt you…did I?" Lani asked him sadly noticing the burn on his arm.

"No not at all." Jak replied. "If anything I think I hurt you most."

He looked down at her body and to his surprise the wounds from the bullets were almost completely healed. He noticed the scars on her wrists, assuming they were caused by the marauder's cuffs cutting into her skin in her struggles. He signaled to Daxter and the little orange animal climbed up the chains. Lani winced as he carefully unhooked her wings.

"It's fine." She told Jak. "My new Eco powers let me heal myself. But I guess you already noticed that."

"You're friend here told us what happened." Daxter said pointing to Kayla.

"I can't believe people are still playing around with Eco like this." Jak said. "Praxis' experiments were bad enough."

"I guess word of your body's resistance to it got out." Lani said. "Others wanted the power for themselves…Or maybe they just wanted a way to protect themselves from war…Who knows what drives these sick minded people…"

"I'm sorry we didn't get to you fast enough…" Jak said. "None of this would've happened otherwise—"

"No worries…I'm just happy to see you again." Lani said smiling up at him, her Eco form fading once her wounds healed. "The others in Haven didn't even care to come find me did they?"

"No…" Jak admitted. "We were there not too long ago."

"They thought you were with us." Daxter said.

"I should have expected nothing less." Lani said. "I yelled at them you know, before I came out here. I said that none of them cared about your safety enough to fight to bring you back into the city and that I'd do it alone."

"Well, it's good to know at least one person cared." Jak said. "You had me worried though. I mean, I would have done the same thing if it had been you, but I would have felt better if you stayed in the city where it was safer."

He ruffled her hair playfully.

"I couldn't help myself." Lani said. "You know that city is nothing without you."

"Damn right." Daxter said.

Damas' footsteps echoed off the clay walls as he wandered down the prison hallways. The guards opened the cell door as he approached, allowing him to enter. Damas saw his new prisoners safely secured and his city saviors by the back wall fast asleep. Lani leaned against Jak's shoulder while Daxter lay curled up in a ball at Kayla's feet. Damas couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for them which was soon replaced by his usual sternness.

Jak rubbed his eyes and looked up as Damas drew closer.

"I have a task for you." Damas said shortly.

Jak stood up, gently leaning Lani against the wall as not to wake her. He tapped Daxter awake with his foot and they headed out into the city.

"What seems to be the problem Jak?" Damas asked as they stepped into the warm sun. "You're usually excited to hear about the jobs I have in store for you. Are they not up to your standards anymore?"

"It's not that." Jak said to him soaking in the rays. "It's just…I can't stand seeing Lani chained up like that."

"It must be done." Damas said. "You and I both know that her powers are unstable. Who knows what she'll do if allowed to wander freely in the streets?"

"I won't allow that to happen." Jak said. "If she loses control, I guarantee you I'll stop her."

"Even with your word, I can't take that risk." Damas said.

"Can you at least let her out of the chains?" Daxter asked.

"Be happy I'm allowing you to keep her here at all." Damas said.

It was quiet between them as they stared out over the city, sand blowing lightly across the stone pathways.

"You fight in her defense quite a bit for her to be just a friend." Damas said. "What exactly is she to you?"

Jak looked up at him, caught off guard but the sudden question. A wave of embarrassment swept over him.

"Well, I've never actually thought of that." Jak admitted, looking down at the ground. "I guess you could say she's like…like a little sister to me. She looks up to me and I look out for her. Try and keep her out of trouble, you know?"

Jak looked back up to Damas, hoping his answer was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"It seems you need to try a little bit harder then, don't you?" Damas said. He turned his back to them and headed towards the palace. "I've gotten reports of marauder movement out in the Wastelands. They're headed towards the front gate. Go down there and take them out."

"With pleasure." Jak said. He walked down the long flight of stairs and headed to the garage.


	8. Freedom

Chapter 8:

Freedom

Jak sat atop the stairway leading to the palace. Daxter sat beside him with a bag full of artifacts in his lap. He pulled one out and held it up to the sun, its light gleaming off the bronze structure.

"If only we could keep some of this stuff…" Daxter said. "It's pretty neat for ancient Precursor crap."

"What would you possibly do with it?" Jak asked.

"Sell it." Daxter said smiling. "This stuff is worth a fortune now-a-days remember? We could be rich!"

"Out here? Doubt that…"

"Back in Haven, I'm sure. I think it's better to make profit off of it instead of hording them like a bunch of rodents."

Jak laughed to himself.

"It's not nice to make fun of yourself Dax."

"Ha, ha, very funny… you know what I meant."

"Lani used to be like that back in Sandover..."Jak said. "Remember how she would wander the beaches looking for Orbs and Eco while we were moving the Rift Gate?"

He looked up at the sky, soaking in the sunlight and remembered the good times he and his friends had back in their beach-front Village, now ruined by nearly 500 years of development and the necessities of modernization.

"Just shelves of…stuff." Jak said. "Bet she was pretty bummed when we had to leave it behind."

Daxter tossed the artifact back and forth between his hands.

"Think she's still into this junk?" he asked.

Jak shrugged his shoulders and turned around as the palace doors opened. A tall, dark skinned and armor clad Wastelander approached them. Jak and Daxter rose to their feet.

"Here's those artifacts you asked for Sig." Jak said, tossing the bag to him.

"Good work cherries." Sig said, looking into the bag. "Damas will be mighty pleased about the number you've brought in."

"And since there are so many…" Daxter began causally. "Do you think maybe we could keep one? Say, as a reward for all of our hard work?"

"I suppose we could part with one…" Sig said, tossing one of the objects back to Jak. "What do you plan on doing with that?"

"Gift." Jak said shortly as he placed the item in his pocket. "I'm sure she'd prefer one of those Eco crystals though…"

"Well, I don't have any of those to give you, but I just happen to know where one is." Sig said. "I think you'd enjoy joining me in taking down some metal heads?"

"I'd be happy to." Jak said. "Can I meet you there? There's something I need to check on."

"You're talking about Lani aren't you?" Sig asked. "I heard about what happened. Real shame what they did to those girls. The good thing is that they're safe. I'll see you two at the nest."

Jak nodded and headed into the palace with Daxter at his heels as Sig walked down the long stairway.

Jak and Daxter entered the cell in which Lani and Kayla were being contained, but it was empty. Confused, they wandered the hallways in search of them.

They had checked nearly every room but there was no sign of the girls. Panic began to sweep across them.

"This is not good…" Jak said as they continued to search.

"Ya think?" Daxter said. "If Damas finds out about this—"

"Finds out about what?"

Jak and Daxter stopped in their tracks at the sound of the too familiar voice behind them. They both turned slowly only to see who other than Damas approaching them. Jak swore under his breath.

"Well?" Damas said. "What seems to be the problem?"

Neither of them spoke at first, in great fear of Damas' response to Lani and Kayla's disappearance.

"Well…" Jak said hesitantly. "We went down to the girl's cell to see how they were…"

"And…?" Damas said impatiently.

"And neither of them were there and we can't find them…?" Daxter finished with a nervous smile upon his face.

"What?!" Damas yelled. The two heroes winced at the sound of his rage. "This is _exactly _why I did not want them here! You had better hope for the sake of theirs _and_ your life that they are found and no one is hurt!"

Jak and Daxter both swallowed nervously.

"Just hope that I don't find them first." Damas said. He could see the fear in their eyes. A smile spread across his face and he chuckled a little. This only brought more guilt and worry to their hearts, for Damas never laughed.

"I feel that he finds our distress amusing…" Daxter mumbled. "Quite frightening really."

"It's good to see that you realize the seriousness of this situation." Damas said. He passed them and continued down the hallway. "What you seek is upstairs in the secondary chambers."

And he disappeared around the corner. It was silent for a moment.

"That…was cold…" Daxter said.

Jak and Daxter entered a spacious room on the upper level of the palace. All of the curtains were drawn back, allowing the sunlight to flood the room.

"With all the work we do around here why doesn't he let _us_ stay here?" Daxter asked in a frustrated tone.

"Dunno, Dax." Jak said.

He heard the light sound of flowing water and turned his head, noticing a narrow hallway in the corner. Curious he followed it, Daxter trailing close by.

A small waterfall cascaded down from an outlet in the wall, flowing into a large pool in the center of the room. The sunlight glittered atop the water's surface.

"Jak!" came a shaky voice ahead of them.

Caught off guard, the two boys turned around. Near a second waterfall, a teenage girl stood. Her thin, tanned body glistened with the falls' warm mist. Jak's face flushed pink and he swiveled back around as Lani made haste to hide herself.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Lani asked, pulling a shirt over her head.

"Checking up on you." Jak said trying to make the moment less awkward on them both.

Daxter couldn't help but smirk up at Jak. He looked down at him and pushed him over with his foot in annoyance.

"We went down to your cell but neither of you were there." Jak said.

"Gave us both quite a scare you know." Daxter said. "Damas made us think you guys had broken out. He would have had our heads!"

Kayla entered the room as Lani finished dressing, allowing the two boys to face them.

"He makes it sound like we're some no good untrustworthy children." Lani said crossing her arms. "But at least he let us get clean and gave us new clothes."

"Isn't that nice of him." Daxter said sarcastically.

"Damas said that he won't keep us locked up as long as someone watches over us at all times." Kayla said.

"That's understandable I guess." Jak said. "With everything that's been going on outside of the city, he can't afford any trouble inside the walls."

"We don't even know what the city looks like." Kayla said. "I mean, we've looked out the windows, but no one will take us around."

"Well when you two are all finished cleaning up, I could take you around later if you'd like?" Jak offered.

Both of their faces lit up with joy.

"You'd do that for us?" Kayla asked.

"If it gets us out of doing another boring task for Damas, you bet we will." Daxter said.

"Speaking of boring tasks, I got this for you." Jak said, tossing the retrieved artifact to Lani. "I would have got one for you too Kayla but I wasn't sure if you were into Precursor artifacts."

"No I'm not." Kayla said. "Thanks for offering though."

"What about Eco crystals?" Jak asked. "I don't want to leave you out."

Kayla shook her head.

"Eco comes in crystals?" Lani asked, stunned.

"You'd be surprised." Jak said, pulling a Dark Eco crystal out of his item pocket and holding it out to her.

"This is amazing Jak." Lani said, taking the crystal from him and looking it over. "Where did you get these?"

"We have to go out into the desert and find these things all the time." Daxter said. "The stuff we see out there…we're underappreciated Jak!"

"Agreed." Lani said, giving the crystal back to Jak.

"You can hang onto that." Jak said. "There's more where that one came from. In fact, we need to head out to meet up with Sig and retrieve another one. I'll show you the city when we get back alright?"

"Thanks Jak!" Lani called as he and Daxter left the room.

Lani smiled down at her crystal before turning to Kayla.

"You sure you don't want it?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Kayla said. "He's a really nice guy though."

"Yeah." Lani said. "He's very inspiring you know? Like Daxter said, they're work is sometimes unappreciated. But somehow Jak manages to keep going in these tough times and is always putting his life in danger for others. With me being younger than the others, I don't really get along well with all of them. But having Jak around helps me to get over it."

"You like him, don't you?" Kayla asked.

"Who doesn't?" Lani said, shrugging her shoulders and letting out a little laugh. Kayla could hear the bit of depression in it.

"You're not the kind of person who likes to share are you?" Kayla asking jokingly. "Well, I'm sure you mean a lot to him too, no matter what the others say."

"I wonder sometimes…" Lani said.

"Well then why don't you ask him?"

"Oh no. I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"For one, it's embarrassing. Two it'll cause all sorts of trouble."

"With what?" Kayla asked, confused.

"If we make back to Haven City, I'll show you." Lani said.

Jak and Daxter finally returned to the palace and took Lani and Kayla about the city. The Wastelanders gave them suspicious looks as they passed, holding their guns tightly in their hands as if waiting for one of the new comers to attack.

The girls couldn't help but have a sinking feeling in their hearts at the sight of each Wastelander, knowing that outcasts didn't even want them around.

They approached a large door and its gears began to turn, blowing dust and sand into the air as it opened.

"This is the garage." Jak said, leading them in. "All of the city's desert vehicles are kept here."

The two girls separated, looking over the various vehicles. A tall, heavyset man across the garage turned around at the commotion.

"What do you think you are doing bringing these brats in here?" he said loudly.

Lani and Kayla looked back at the sound of his voice.

"Just thought I'd show them around." Jak said. "I see no harm in that."

"Did we do something wrong?" Kayla asked.

"No, this is Kleiver." Jak said.

"He's like Damas' assistant." Daxter whispered. "And he's always like this."

"I heard that you little rat!" Kleiver yelled. "I don't care whether Damas gave ya permission to bring them around or not. Don't touch anything."

Lani leaned against one of the buggies. There was a little cracking sound and one of the side railings fell to the floor with a loud clank. She quickly stepped away from the vehicle acting like nothing happened.

"Why you—!" Kleiver started.

"Hey, mind if we take one of these out for a while?" Jak asked, stepping in the way before he made a move on her.

"Yeah, only if ya fix what the kid just broke." Kleiver said angrily. "In fact, I've got a job for ya right now. I sold something to a group of metal heads earlier and I want it back."

"That's kind of unfair don't you think?" Lani asked.

"Does it look like I care?" Kleiver asked. "This is business. Now go get it back. Take those little buggers too. Who knows, they might make a good snack."

"We'll see about that." Kayla said smartly.

Jak popped the side railing back onto the vehicle and climbed in, the girls following after him. They pulled down their goggles and sped off into the open desert.

The sand beat across their faces as they crossed the dunes. The clouds got dark and the sandy wind thick as a storm began rolling in.

"So what kind of metal heads are we looking for?" Lani yelled over the engine and the wind.

"Trust me, you'll know when you see them." Daxter said.

Off in the distance, a group of humongous beasts gathered. As they neared, Kayla noticed the guns mounted on each one's back.

"You have got to be joking." Kayla said. "Those things are huge! And they're armed!"

"That's the best part." Jak said. "One of you girl's get on the gun and take them down."

Lani and Kayla looked at each other.

"I think I'll sit this one out." Kayla said.

"Oh, no." Lani said, pushing her towards the turret. "This is a once in a lifetime experience."

"But I've never—"

"Just point and shoot." Lani said. "It's a lot easier than it looks. Trust me. Beside, those things are gigantic. You won't miss."

"Ready?" Jak called.

"Always." Lani replied.

Jak closed in on the metal heads and they scattered. Kayla nervously aimed her gun and began firing.

Bullets flew through the sandy air as Jak sped parallel to the giant beast. Angered, the metal head shot large purple bombs in their direction.

"Incoming!" Daxter yelled taking cover.

Kayla quickly redirected her gun and fired, the bomb exploding and pieces raining down on them. She turned her attention back to the metal head as two more joined it.

The first metal head finally fell to the ground, another tripping over its fallen body. Kayla took advantage of the moment and shot it down. The metal heads dispersed again and Jak took a sharp turn, pursuing the closest one.

Kayla looked up to see the sky filled with the metal head's purple bombs. She quickly aimed at the sky and began firing, hitting as many as she could. Jak swerved to avoid the ones she had missed.

"Hurry up and shoot them!" Daxter exclaimed.

"There's more coming down!" Lani said.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Daxter asked. "Pay attention!"

"Will you stop yelling at me?!" Kayla said, frustrated. "I can't focus!"

One by one, Kayla shot down the raging metal heads. Finally there were no more to be seen.

"About time you took them all down." Daxter whined. "I could have finished them in half the time it took you to—"

"Heads up!" Jak called, turning sharply again.

Everyone looked up to see a large bird appearing from the sandy sky and soaring over them, followed by another wave of the two legged metal heads. Kayla sent bullets flying again.

The land beasts barraged the vehicle with bombs again. Kayla turned her attention to them when Daxter yelled behind her.

"They've got missiles!!"

Kayla spun the turret around to see a group of rockets coming towards them, the bird from before flying close by.

"That Kleiver guy owes us big time!" Lani shouted, as Kayla sent bullets at the bird. "This is ridiculous!"

As quickly as it had appeared, the bird retreated into the dust as more land metal heads continued their fire.

By now, they had made it back to Spargus' front gates. Kayla furiously shot down the remaining metal heads and a bronze object fell from the beast as it died. Jak pulled up beside it as Lani leaned out and grabbed it, heading back into the city.

Jak parked the vehicle in its designated spot and everyone climbed out. Kleiver leaned against one of the other cars with a smug smile plastered to his face.

"So how'd it go?" he asked.

Everyone shot him dirty looks but no one spoke a word. He laughed at the thought of their suffering and walked away.

"Oh, he's lucky he's Damas' little servant boy." Kayla said angrily. "Or else I woulda—"

A communicator arose from Jak's pocket and a familiar voice emerged from it.

"Jak, we've found something important." Said Samos. "Come back to the city with the items you've found and we'll give you the details there."

"Not even a 'hello, how are you' I see…" Lani said, crossing her arms as the communicator disappeared back into his pocket. "What else is new?"

"What was that about?" Kayla asked.

"When duty calls…" Jak sighed. "Looks like we're headed back to Haven City. There are these pillars in the forest that they want me to take another look at and I guess they've found a clue as to what they're for. Come on, let's get out of here. I'll update you about everything on the way."


	9. War

Chapter 9:

War

The doors to the Freedom League HQ slid open, making way for the Wasteland visitors. The entire room lit up at the sight of Jak, having safely returned from the cruel desert once again. The smiling faces got brighter at the sight of Jak's followers, except for one.

"I see you made it back alright." Keira said unenthusiastically as Lani entered the room.

"I bet that's a disappointment huh?" Lani said to her.

"It's good to have you back." Ashelin said.

"We were all really worried." Tess added.

"Yeah, and now that you're here you can get back to work." Torn said.

"Don't you think she could use a little rest?" Tess asked. "She just got back from—"

"I'm fine…" Lani said. "Thanks for your concern though."

"That settles it then." Torn said. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Kayla." She said.

"She has both Dark and Blue Eco powers." Lani added.

"Don't tell them about—" Kayla started.

"Good." Torn said. "We need all the help we can get. Jak, get back into that forest and figure out what that structure is. Lani, I want you and Kayla to go head to the War Factory."

"You still haven't taken care of that?" Lani asked. "I wonder who's running this thing."

"We've been saving all of that good stuff for you to figure out." Torn replied. "Now get up there and bring it down."

Lani and Kayla headed towards the entrance when Jak called them back.

"You're not going up there to fight KG bots without weapons are you?" he asked them.

"Good call." Lani said, remembering all of her weapons had been confiscated back in the Icelands.

"Got anything lying around we can borrow?" Kayla asked.

"I can put something together for you guys to get you started if you'd like?" Tess said. Lani looked at her startled.

"I didn't know you made guns…"

"Yeah." Tess said. "Just tell me what kind of fire power you like and I'll get you what you need."

Lani and Kayla were headed up to the Hellcat hangar when Jak and Daxter returned from the forest.

"What's wrong Jak?" Kayla asked him as they crossed paths. He had a worried look upon his face.

"That thing in the forest Torn wanted me to look at," Jak said "It's a telescope."

"We took a peek inside it." Daxter said. "But there's more than just pretty stars up there. You won't believe what we saw."

"You know that light in the sky?" Jak asked. "The one the Wasteland monks call the Day Star? Turns out it's a space ship."

"What…?" Lani asked, surprised.

"The Precursors called them Dark Makers." Jak explained. "They told us these things were once Precursors themselves, now affected by Dark Eco. Worst of all, they're coming to destroy this planet."

"What are we going to do?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know." Jak said. "But this war's about to get rough. We're going to let the others know what going on before it's too late. Good luck. And be careful."

Lani gave him the thumbs up as he walked back to HQ. She turned back to Kayla.

"We've only had problems with gangs where I'm from…" Kayla said. "This is going to get bad isn't it?"

"KG bots, metal heads and Dark Precursors? You bet it is." Lani said. "But that's what makes it fun. Come on, let's take out that War Factory."

Kayla and Lani had successfully infiltrated the War Factory, guns in hand. There were numerous robots, the Factory being the center of their development. Bullets flying, they made their way towards the center of the building.

The two girls entered a large circular room with what looked like many doors. Lani looked around the room.

"Great…Now which way do we go?" she asked. Kayla said nothing. Lani looked back at her, hoping for some kind of response but Kayla seemed to be in a trance staring up at something ahead of them. Lani looked back to see what it was.

Before them, a large KG robot stood with his back to them. Judging by the size of it, they assumed it was the one in charge. Upon hearing Lani's voice, the robot turned, revealing his half human face.

"Errol?!" Lani said, astonished.

"Well, well if it isn't the little Eco freak." The KG bot said. "You weren't the one I was expecting, but you'll do."

"You know each other??" Kayla asked.

"Yeah…" Lani said, almost lost for words. "He's partly to blame for my Eco abilities. But that was back when he was…well, attractive…Holy crap Errol, what happened to you? I thought you were dead?"

"That's what you people wanted to believe." Errol said. "But here I am, and all of you are going to regret it. This entire planet will suffer by my hand."

"You really think you can take down this whole planet by yourself?" Kayla asked.

"Of course." Errol said. "With a little help of my newest friends."

"Friends…?" Lani asked. "You're talking about the Dark Makers aren't you?"

"So you already know about them." Errol said.

"Why would they help someone like you?" Kayla asked. "What's in it for them?"

"You're a nosy bunch aren't you?" Errol asked. "Not like you'll live long enough for any of this to matter to you. I've been communicating with those poor creatures for some time now and I've been given a power to help me destroy all Light Eco. Once that is done, who knows what will become of this world? So many possibilities, so hard to choose…"

Lani cocked her gun.

"I don't think so."

Errol fired first, launching a small rocket in their direction. Lani shot at it, but shockingly it dodged the bullets coming straight towards her. It was inches away from her and she moved aside, but instead of hitting the wall and exploding, it spun around and followed after her. She wasn't fast enough.

The missile tip opened up like a claw and clamped onto her neck, knocking Lani to the ground. She yelled out in pain and quickly tried to pull it off as it punctured her skin. It felt as if something was embedding itself within her and she couldn't retrieve it. Whatever it was, it sent off an electrical current straight to her brain, causing her muscles to relax. She lay helplessly on the floor as if paralyzed.

Left alone, Kayla readied her gun and faced Errol as he laughed down at her.

"You mean to tell me that we're about to be invaded…?" Ashelin asked. "By aliens?"

"Sounds crazy when you put it that way, but yes." Jak said. "I don't know how much time we have before they get here, but it won't be long."

"As if metal heads weren't enough…" Torn said. "Hopefully those girls can take out that War Factory. That'll give us one less force to worry about. But until then we need to figure out what to do about—"

The HQ doors slid open and Lani and Kayla ran in, breathing heavily. The others awaited their report.

"Well?" Torn asked impatiently. "Did you do something about those KG bots?"

"Yeah…" Kayla sighed.

"So what's the problem?" Jak asked.

"Errol…" Lani said between breaths. "It's Errol…He's come back…"

"You have got to be kidding…" Keira said crossing her arms. "Errol died at the races remember? There's no way he could have—"

"We just saw him." Kayla said.

"But he ran into a barrel of Dark Eco." Keira said. "Everyone was watching. No one could survive—"

"Keira, please just shut up for a minute." Lani said. Keira saw the panic in her eyes and fell silent. "Errol, he's been changed into one of the KG bots…I think he's the one in charge of them…But he's also working with the Dark Makers to destroy the planet and its Light Eco—"

Lani suddenly dropped to her knees gasping for breath. Her hair began to drain of color and the others stepped away from her.

"Dammit, why now…?" Lani muttered as her horns began to emerge.

"What's happening…?" Keira asked. The others watched in horror as Lani transformed, all but her wings appearing. Lani looked around the room before a grin spread across her face, revealing her white fangs. She laughed, sending fear through the hearts of her friends before turning her attention to Jak. Her eyes, normally black with white irises were now completely white.

"Here's the hero I've been looking for…" Lani said suddenly. "Jak, long time no see."

"Lani…" Jak said. "Are you alright…?"

"You are no longer communicating with your pathetic little friend." She said. "I'm sure by now she has informed you of my return? Don't you remember Jak? We haven't spoken since that little incident on the racetrack…"

"Errol…" Jak said. "What have you done to her?"

"It seems those desert savages of yours have mixed the perfect amount of Eco within her body." Errol said through Lani. "Whatever they did coincidentally left her Eco in the ideal state to sync with the Dark Maker's technology. Upon our meeting earlier I managed to lock onto her Eco signature and implant a special device under her skin, allowing me to speak to you as I do."

Lani raised her arm and pointed to her neck where the strange missile had made contact.

"What do you want?" Jak asked.

"Retribution, Jak. I want you to feel the pain and humiliation I felt that terrible day as I take you out before the eyes of your beloved supporters. It'll be so much fun…I can't wait."

"Jak's not going to let you get away with this." Daxter said. "He'll stop you. You can count on that!"

"We'll see about that." The Errol controlled Lani said smiling. "In the meantime, I suggest you watch this one. She may turn against you."

With his last words, he cut the connection. Lani collapsed to the floor and Kayla ran to her side.

"It all makes sense…"Jak said. The others turned to him. "This entire war was just a part of his plan…We saw a hologram that looked like his face out in the Wastelands not long ago. I think he was using the metal heads to transport the Eco crystals he had found. If everything the girls just said is true, that means Errol is behind everything. The metal heads, the KG bots…He's just been trying to weaken our defenses for his main attack…"

"We're out of time." Lani said weakly in her Eco state. "He's already started sending them down here…I can feel their energy getting closer…"

"What are we going to do?" Kayla asked.

"We fight back." Jak said. "I'm sure you girls want to help…You stay here and lend a hand to defend Haven City. Dax and I will head back to Spargus and let Damas know what's going on. Maybe we can get the Wastelander's on our side with this. Here, take this—"

He tossed a little device to Kayla.

"Use that if you need any help." Jak went on. "It lets you communicate with anyone of the force. I'll return as soon as I can."


	10. Strength of Will

Chapter 10:

Strength of Will

The others had left, leaving Kayla and Lani alone in HQ. Lani remained on the cold metal floor with her hand clasped over her neck watching the flashing lights of the computers. Kayla stood over her in silence.

"You gonna stay down there forever?" Kayla finally asked. "These things aren't going to kill themselves you know."

"I don't think I can help you finish this." Lani said. "It's too much of a risk. The Dark Makers have the power to control me so they the advantage in this…And I don't know how to stop it."

"You don't seem like the kind of person to go down that easily." Kayla said. "Especially in situations like this."

"I know, but what if they make me—"

"Are you going to let some alien force take over you?" Kayla asked.

"No…but—"

"So get your ass off the floor and help me take down some Dark Makers."

Kayla said holding out Lani's gun.

Kayla and Lani entered Haven Forest. Everything seemed in order; green leaves floating down to the soft grass below, the clear water flowing steadily down to the newly formed lake in the center of the forest where the Astro-Viewer Jak had used previously was located. But it was a little too quiet for their liking.

"Why are we coming here again?" Kayla asked.

"I want to take a look at that telescope." Lani said. "Maybe if we get a good look at the ship, we can find a weak spot in its defenses—"

Lani was cut short as the girls realized they were not alone. Scattered among the trees were strange black creatures, taking to the air as well as the ground. They looked almost crystalline in structure, the land walkers with large spikes protruding from their shoulders. Bolts of Dark Eco energy radiated from their bodies. The bird-like creatures hovered above, oblivious to their arrival.

"Those must be the Dark Makers…" Kayla said as they hid behind a group of trees. "Should we just attack them head on or try and sneak past them?"

"Normally I'd say take them head on, but we don't know how strong these things are." Lani said. "Today, we are ninja and shall use the trees to our advantage."

They parted with their trees and moved forward, ducking down behind nature as they went along. They were halfway to the Viewer when a small vibrationtraveled up Lani's neck from where the mechanism had been planted.

"Kayla, wait." Lani whispered putting her hand to her neck once again.

"Why, what's wrong?" Kayla asked. Lani peered out from behind a tree towards the Dark Makers. They began to move around more than they had been when the girls entered the forest. She knew they were looking for something.

"They know we're here." Lani said. "Sorry, but this stupid device is giving away our—"

Kayla quickly pulled out her gun and fired, the airborne Dark Maker soon exploding into tiny black crystal-like fragments. They rained down on Lani, glittering with hints of purple in the sunlight that broke through the canopy. The other creatures turned to their location.

"I guess we're taking them head on." Lani sighed. She retrieved her own gun and the bullets went flying.

The Dark Makers had their own built in weapons, sending bomb-like attacks right back at the girls. They abandoned their hiding spots and ran out into the open, sending shells in every direction. Unfortunately, the land walking creatures casted tough shields, forcing Kayla and Lani to part with a little extra ammo. But that wasn't enough to stop them.

One by one the Dark Makers fell, allowing Lani and Kayla to get closer to the Astro-Viewer. They were only a few feet away from the lake as they stared down the last few Dark Makers. Kayla shot furiously as the Dark Maker's shield began to weaken, finally shattering like glass.

The shards flew in every direction, the largest piece lodging itself in Kayla's thigh. It knocked her off balance, and she fell backwards into another Dark Maker. She elbowed it in its middle and it fell towards the water below. The Dark Maker grabbed a hold of Kayla's arm and brought her down with it.

They hit the bottom, disturbing the sand. It drifted up towards the surface as Kayla fought off the Dark creature. She finally managed to knock it out, its unconscious body floating to the top. She turned her attention to her leg as the clear liquid turned to red. Kayla struggled to remove the broken shield.

She freed the shard and pushed herself up off the lake bottom, but she was out of air. Her fight with the Dark Maker forced too much water into her lungs. Kayla was only a few yards away from the surface when the water began to turn black around her. Unable to swim on, she fell unconscious and sank back to the bottom.

Choking, Kayla rolled onto her stomach and coughed up water. She found herself soaking wet and opened her eyes to see large metal objects soaring through the air around her. Panicking, she quickly sat up, nearly falling off the platform on which she lay. Looking down, she saw smaller platforms leading down to body of water.

"Relax Kayla." Came Lani's voice. "You don't want to fall off this thing do you?"

Kayla looked up to see Lani standing next to the large Precursor telescope. The recent events flooded back into her mind and she looked down towards her leg. There was a large tear in her pants, but the gash was gone.

"My wound…" Kayla said to herself.

"I healed it with my Light Eco." Lani said running her hand across the machine.

"Thanks." Kayla said. She stood up and walked over to the 'scope, peering through the lens as Lani analyzed the mechanism as a whole.

"What do you see?" Lani asked. Kayla was quiet for a moment, scanning the heavens.

"I found it…" Kayla finally said. "Ugly piece of machinery if you ask me…"

She stepped aside and let Lani take a look. She saw a black, bug-like space ship with many tentacle structures swaying freely floating not far from the planet's atmosphere.

"I don't see anything that could potentially be a weak spot." Lani said. "Maybe if we somehow hit it in the—"

A bright white light began to shine through the scope, blinding Lani momentarily.

"What is that?" Kayla asked.

"I don't know." Lani replied as her eyes readjusted. "But it's reacting with the device Errol put in me. They're…talking to me…I can hear them…in my head…"

Lani trailed off and remained motionless as she stared vacantly into the light.

"Lani?" Kayla called to her worriedly. "Are you alright? Lani, can you hear me?"

But there was no reply. It was as if the telescope had extracted her soul, leaving nothing more than an empty shell.

"No way…"

Kayla looked around in search of the sudden voice, but saw no one. She turned back to Lani, but she was lifeless.

"Kayla…are you there?"

The voice was coming from the telescope itself. Kayla walked over to it.

"Lani…?"

"You'll never believe this!" came Lani's voice from the Astro-viewer. Kayla jumped back a bit.

"Lani?" she asked. "Where are you?"

"I think…I'm on the Dark Maker's ship…"

"How is that possible?" Kayla asked. "You're body is still here with me!"

Lani looked down at herself, but instead of seeing her normal body, she found herself within an alien suit of armor. She raised what ordinarily would have her arm and the robot raised the same arm.

"This is…amazing." Lani said. "It seems as if that piece of equipment in my body is allowing my mind to sync with the computer of one of the Dark Maker's robots."

"I bet you can use that to make your way to the control room and destroy their shields." Kayla suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Lani's voice said. "I'll let you know when it's done."

Kayla dangled her feet over the ledge of the platform and stared down into the water below. Nearly ten minutes had gone by and still no word from Lani. She began to wonder if the Dark Makers caught her or cut the connection, trapping her spirit on board their ship forever. Even so, there was nothing she could do. She sighed deeply.

"Got it."

Startled, Kayla turned back to the telescope. Lani's enchanted body soon came back to life. She turned and smiled at Kayla.

"Their shields are down." Lani said. "Now all we have to do is find something that will hit them hard—ugh…"

She clutched her neck, the strange sensation caused by the device starting up again as she fell to her knees.

"No, not again!" Kayla said running to her side. Lani pushed Kayla back forcefully, knocking her to the ground. Lani's nails grew out into claws and long horns formed as bolts of Dark and Light Eco energy surged from her body. It was taking over her again.

"You little Eco freak, how dare you destroy those shields!" Lani yelled as the communicator began connecting to her brain. "Screw you Errol, get out of my head!"

Kayla could do nothing but watch as Lani had an internal battle with her Eco and the Dark Maker technology planted inside of her. She resisted as much as she could.

"You think you can get rid of us that easily?" Errol asked through her. "Well you're wrong Lani. I'll show you what happens to anyone who stands in my way!"

It was like a surge of electricity pulsed up Lani's spine straight to her brain, cutting off connections to the rest of her body. She fell face down onto the platform, the metal ringing upon impact. It was quiet.

Kayla didn't move a muscle, unsure of what was to come next. She wanted to make sure Lani was ok, since it was hard to tell from this distance, but at the same time she was afraid to go near in case Lani would awake in a rage and lunge out at her. Hesitantly, Kayla crawled over to her.

"Lani…?" she called in a shaky voice. She poked Lani in the side, hoping to get some kind of reaction but nothing happened. She placed her fingers to her neck and felt a steady pulse. At least she knew Lani was still alive. Kayla started to shake her. "Lani this isn't funny, get up. Shit…"

Kayla stood up and pulled out the communicator Jak had given to her.

"Jak?" Kayla said into it. "This is Kayla can you hear me?"

There was static for a moment before Jak's voice came through.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked.

"I have some good and bad news." Kayla went on. "Good news is, we got the Dark Maker ship's shield down."

"That's great!" Jak said. "I've been told that the planet has a defense system below the surface. If we can reach it and activate the defenses, we can get rid of them for good. How did you manage to turn the shields off?"

"That's kind of the bad news…" Kayla said. "The ship transferred Lani's mind or something onto their ship through the telescope thing in the forest."

Lani slowly pushed herself up with her arms and looked around. Kayla stood before her but her back was to Lani. A wide grin spread across Lani's face as she laughed to herself. Quietly, she forced herself to her feet, her white eyes never wandering away from Kayla.

"Kill her…" Lani whispered,Errol's commands escaping from her mouth.

"She used their weapons against them and got it down." Kayla told Jak. "But when she came back to her real self, Errol took over her again…I don't know what he did this time but she won't get up. She's completely unresponsive and—"

Kayla was tackled to the ground and the communicator escaped from her hands and slid across the platform just barely on the edge.

"Kayla, are you there?" Jak asked.

Kayla freed one of her pinned arms and thrust it back. Lani yelled out in pain as Kayla's elbow came into contact with her eye and she released her grip. Lani covered her eye with her hand, giving Kayla enough time to rise to her feet.

"What's going on?" Jak asked hearing the commotion through the communicator. "Is everything alright?"

"I'll get back to you later Jak." Kayla said. "There's something I need to take care of."

The communicator returned to static as Jak disconnected from his end. Kayla faced Lani ready to fight. Lani showed her white fangs in a big smile, the Eco yin yang on her forehead in perfect harmony.

"What fun." Errol transmitted through Lani. "Watching friends battling it out is always entertaining. I wonder who will come out victorious?"

"Shut up Errol." Kayla said. "Next time I see your ugly face I'll make sure it's the last."

"We'll see about that." Errol said.

Taking complete control over Lani's body he forced her to charge at Kayla with her claws extended. She slashed at Kayla who quickly stepped aside. Lani came to a sliding halt as she found herself standing on the edge of the platform. Kayla pulled out her gun and fired a few rounds but Lani used her Light Eco to form a mini shield in each hand, deflecting the bullets with ease. Her shields disappeared and before the bullets could hit the ground, they stopped in midair. Kayla watched as they hovered just inches above the platform before rising back up. The bullets floated just above the palms of Lani's hands. Lani looked down at the bullets swirling before her curiously before looking back at Kayla and smirked. Holding out her hands, Lani sent the bullets flying back at Kayla. She shielded herself with her arms as the bullets cut across her. When they finally stopped, Kayla dropped her arms to see Lani charging at her again, but she was too slow this time. Lani lunged on top of her, knocking Kayla to the ground and wrapped her hands around Kayla's throat. Upon impact with the ground, Kayla rolled back and used her feet to push Lani off of her. Lani's grip slipped from Kayla's throat and her claws cut across the sides of her neck as she flipped over in the air and plunged down into the water below.

Kayla peeked over the edge of the platform into the clear blue water and watched as Lani came up for air. Lani looked back as she held herself afloat in the water with a smirk across her face. Knowing Lani wasn't in control, Kayla couldn't help wondering what was going through Errol's mind at that moment.

Her feet suddenly rose from the ground with the rest of her body following shortly after. Kayla looked around in panic as she hovered in the air. Remembering what happened with the bullets, she realized Lani's Eco was responsible. Before she knew it, she found herself zooming through the air across the forest. Lani directed Kayla's path of travel. Kayla could do nothing but shield herself with her arms as she entered the canopy, branches and leaves smacking her along the way.

Her trip came to a painful halt as she hit the tree trunk and plummeted down, hitting thick branches along the way. She finally hit the ground and the broken branches and leaves piled on top of her.

Lani pulled herself out of the water and onto dry land. Kayla pushed the debris off of herself as Lani approached.

"What a shame." Errol said through Lani. "I was hoping this fight would be a little more…exciting."

"Sorry to disappoint you Errol." Kayla said rising to her feet. "But I don't plan on giving you what you want."

"Fine then." He said. "I'll force it out of you."

A small ball of blue energy formed in the palm of Lani's hand. It expanded and began emitting electricity, turning a light purple in color. She pulled back then thrust her arm towards Kayla. Luckily she dodged in time and Lani's hand slammed into the tree trunk. The electric current surged up the trunk of the tree, causing it to explode into millions of wooden pieces. She continued her attack as the tree fragments showered down on them.

Lani thrust her electric attack at Kayla who narrowly escaped each blow. As another came towards her face, Kayla dropped to the ground, Lani's hand making contact with the boulder behind her. Bolts of electricity rolled across the rock's surface as Lani focused another attack, but Kayla swung her foot across the ground, knocking Lani's feet from under her. She fell on her back, momentarily dazed. Before she could open her eyes, a sharp pain struck her middle, soon spreading to the rest of her body. Kayla's punch sent an electrical current through Lani's system, paralyzing her. Lani growled and looked up at her and a smile spread across Kayla's face.

"What's your next plan, Errol?" Kayla asked.

"Heh. You think this will keep her immobile forever?" Errol transmitted. "I'm sure the effects will wear off shortly and we can resume."

Kayla knew he was right. The paralysis would only last as long as the electrical current in her body had energy. She quickly centered the Eco into her hand again but before she could strike, Kayla found herself hanging upside down as if a rope tightened around her ankle and suspended her from the tree above. Errol laughed at her misfortune as the paralysis ceased. Lani's controlled body rose to her feet and grinned up at Kayla.

The ground began to shake. Kayla looked around at the disturbed forest and back down at Lani who appeared oblivious to what was going on. The ground beneath Kayla erupted and a cluster of crystals rose from the earth. Their transparent purple and blue surfaces gleamed in the sunlight as they filled the space beneath Kayla. She looked over at Lani again, Errol laughing hysterically through her. Kayla swore to herself not knowing how to get out of this.

The crystals stopped forming, towering a few feet above the ground. Their fine points glinted menacingly up at Kayla who dangled not far above. She saw no way out.

"It was fun playing with you." Errol said. "Wish this could last longer, but I have other matters to attend to."

The levitation ceased and Kayla plummeted towards the crystals, Errol's laughing ringing through her ears. Only inches away from a crystalline death, Kayla vanished into thin air. Errol's laughter immediately stopped at the sight of his failure. He had Lani visually scan the area, making sure not to let his guard down.

Kayla dropped down from above in her Eco form. Lani turned and quickly generated a shield as the Dark Eco ball Kayla formed made contact. Sparks flew in every direction and emitted a bright light as the two opposite Eco forces struggled to overpower the other.

Lani stepped aside and released the shield, sending Kayla and her attack towards the ground. Upon contact she rolled to a halt and looked back at Lani. She wrapped her tail around Lani's ankle and brought her down. She dragged Lani's body across the ground and into the air and like a whip, released her grip around her ankle. Lani was propelled through the air before slamming backwards into a tree. The bark snapped off and rained down on Lani.

Lani glared at Kayla and growled before rising to her feet. Before she could attack, Kayla made another Dark Eco ball and charged at her. She pulled her arm back to strike when Lani threw a small ball down at the ground. It exploded on contact and a large column of Dark energy surged up from before her. Kayla slid to a stop and leapt into the air as waves of Eco radiated from the column's base, bringing with it a flow of electricity. More of the columns arose as Lani tossed the Eco grenades in Kayla's direction.

With her wings supporting her, Kayla dodged each burst of Eco gracefully in midair. Lani ceased her attacks and ran after Kayla. She climbed atop a large rock at running speed and jumped into the air, her own wings spreading and taking flight. Kayla turned and faced her and held up her hand, sending a blast of Dark power at Lani.

Lani could feel the electricity tingle against her skin as she dived out of the way, the energy shooting over her head. Lani looked back to see the blast make contact with a boulder, blowing it to millions of pieces. She turned her attention back to Kayla only to see two balls of purple electricity flying towards her. She managed to dodge one but the other burned across her leg. Her entire leg went numb; drops of red falling to the ground. Not letting that slow her down, Lani soared on, charging up her own ball of Dark Eco.

At lightning speed the two Eco enhanced girls attacked, their Eco charged spheres colliding with each other. Flares and bolts of Dark Eco separated from the orbs as they pressed against each other, matching in strength. The Eco sparked more rapidly, tinting the trees purple with its light as the girls pushed forward, hoping their attack would nullify the others.

Both girls were sent spiraling backwards as the Eco balls repelled each other. Lani managed to right side herself just before smashing into a tree and turned back to Kayla but she was nowhere in sight.

Like a flash, Kayla appeared before her. Kayla extended her leg forward and kicked Lani right in the jaw before quickly disappeared into thin air. Lani fell backwards as Kayla reappeared behind her and kicked Lani in her lower back, sending her flying forward and she disappeared again. Kayla continued her lighting speed rebounding attack, punching and kicking Lani before she even had a chance to react. Kayla reappeared as Lani's beaten body came soaring towards her, forcefully kicking her in the side and sending her flying right back where she came from, giving Kayla enough time to channel her Eco into her hand and release another blast of energy.

Lani used a tree to kick off and set herself straight. She turned her attention back to Kayla only to be knocked off balance by a wave of Dark Eco. The blast tore through her feathered wing, crippling it. Lani struggled to keep herself airborne, flying lopsided towards her target, her wings soaked in crimson. Taking pity on her, Kayla sent out another burst of Eco, knocking Lani out of the air. As she plummeted towards the ground, Kayla used her Blue Eco speed and dived down to the ground as well. Lani neared the bottom as Kayla slammed her fists against the ground, sending a large column of Dark Eco into the air. Lani quickly conjured a Light Eco shield around her. The Dark Eco encased the shield, pushing Lani up into the air as if floating atop a fountain of water. Kayla appeared behind Lani and fired another blast of Eco, sending Lani and her bubble speeding across the forest.

The shield rebounded off of a tree and slid to the ground, sparing Lani from a painful landing. Releasing the shield she tried to stand up, wobbling as she put pressure on her injured leg. There was no time to heal it.

Kayla came charging at her full speed with an Eco ball at hand. She was only a few feet away when everything around her went white. Taking advantage of her blinding attack, Lani leapt into the air and dropped down behind Kayla. She cried out in pain and fell to her knee; Errol having forgotten she was injured in his determination to finish this. Again, he forced her to rise to her feet, shaking as her blood stained the grass.

Lani looked up to see Kayla pull her clenched fist back, and with all her remaining strength she punched Lani right in the stomach, sending a high Eco voltage through her. She yelled out in pain as the electrical current flowed through every nerve in her body. She attempted to fight back and release herself from the electricity flooding her, but her muscles tensed and wouldn't allow it. Finally, her body couldn't take it anymore. She dropped to her knees and fell to the forest floor.

Lani lay motionless on the ground and Kayla hoped she was only unconscious again. She knelt down beside her and pulled out a small knife, steadying it as she felt for Lani's pulse once more. It was faint, but her heart was still beating. The blade of the knife was only a few inches away from the device in Lani's neck when her hand was stopped. Kayla looked down to see Lani's hand gripping her wrist. Lani's white eyes opened and looked up at Kayla.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said, blood dripping down her chin. She was still under Errol's command. "Try to take the control device out, and I'll kill her."

Kayla hesitated and Errol released her arm. Smirking, he cut the connection between him and Lani and her body lay still once more. Angry, Kayla tightened her grip on the knife and drove it straight down into the soft grass.

"Bastard…" Kayla muttered, slamming her fist against the forest floor. She looked down at her unconscious friend. "Sorry Lani. I don't know if you can hear me right now but I'm going to find a way to get this thing out of you."

She stood up and turned her back on her, returning to normal. She noticed the Dark Eco crystal Jak had given to Lani laying beside her motionless body. Curious, she picked it up, its purple surface glittering in the sunlight. Kayla looked back at Lani one last time and placed the crystal in her pocket before leaving the forest.


	11. Cold Hearts

Chapter 11:

Cold Hearts

Kayla reentered the Freedom League headquarters to see her new peers gathered in the center watching metal head movement throughout the city. They all turned as she entered the room.

"Where's Lani?" Jak asked.

"Oh, she uh, she's admiring the view from the telescope." Kayla replied. She could tell from the look on Jak's face that he was not convinced.

"That's so like her…" Keira said. "She always spent more time enjoying the scenery than giving anyone a hand…"

"How'd everything go?" Ashelin asked.

"Quite well." Kayla said stretching her shoulder. "The Dark Makers' shields are down and ready for our attack. So…what's the next plan?"

"When the Precursors created this world, they constructed a defense system." Samos explained. "But to activate it, Jak needs to make his way into the planet's core. I have a feeling those Eco crystals you have been collecting may be the source of its power."

"Yeah, but I'm still one crystal short." Jak said. "I gave it to Lani when we were out in the Wastelands. I'll have to go catch up with her before I head down there—"

"No need." Kayla said holding out the crystal she retrieved from Lani's side.

"Why do you have it?" Jak asked taking it from her.

"Lani thought you would need it back." Kayla lied again. "She asked me to bring it back to you."

"You're all set then." Torn said as Jak pocketed the final crystal. He nodded in Kayla's direction. "Take her too. We don't need any more trouble."

"What do you mean by that you—" Kayla started.

"Come on before you piss him off even more." Daxter said. "It's the last thing we need right now."

Jak, Kayla and Daxter walked silently towards the ruined center of the city.

"Where is she really?" Jak asked. "It seems odd she would take a break at a time like this…"

Kayla watched the ground as she walked.

"She attacked me…" Kayla admitted after a moment's hesitation. "I left her unconscious in the forest..."

"Well…" Jak sighed. "I guess it'll give us enough time to figure out what to do about her situation…"

"I tried to take the device out before I left her." Kayla said. "But Errol told me that if I try to take it out, he'll kill her…"

Jak went quiet for a moment.

"She'll be fine…" he said.

"I hope so…"

"And the crystal?"

"I took it just in case Errol decided to take it back and find some way to use it against us." Kayla said. "Guess I just got lucky seeing how you needed it."

"Good thinking." Jak said. He sighed deeply. "I asked Damas to give us a hand…Hopefully he'll do us the favor…"

"The old green guy said something about you having to go to the planet's core…" Kayla brought up. "How is that even possible? Is he expecting you to drill a hole through all the dirt and molten rock?"

"You would think." Daxter said. Jak laughed.

"But it's a lot simpler than that." Jak said. "From what I've been told, our planet has this machine-like structure in the center with a few hidden tunnels that lead down to it. It is said that this is where the Precursors themselves reside."

"And I suppose you know where one of these hidden tunnels is?" Kayla asked.

"Center of town." Jak said.

"Convenient…"

"All we have to do is make our way over there through all this mess the metal heads caused." Daxter said. "Guess who's gonna have to clean this up when it's all over? _Us _of course!"

Lani opened her eyes wearily to find herself lying face down on a cold metal floor. She attempted to sit up, but her limbs were bound. Pain throbbed throughout her entire body.

"About time you woke up…" Came a familiar voice. "Was beginning to think I'd have to begin the plan without you."

Lani sighed to herself and rolled over onto her back, the light pouring over face.

"What do you want with me now Errol?" Lani asked squinting into the light. "Not like I'm going to voluntarily do whatever it is you have in mind anyway…And where are we?"

"You, my friend are aboard the Dark Maker's ship." Errol said.

"What!?" Lani said. She tried pulling her arms apart but the restraints held them back.

"You shouldn't fight; it'll only hurt you more." Errol said.

Ignoring him, Lani continued to squirm. She let her Eco overpower her in hopes of increasing her strength to break free. Upon their activation however, the restraints charged up and sent an electrical shock through her body. Lani yelled out in pain before falling limp on the floor once again. Errol laughed to himself.

"I bet you'll listen to me now, won't you?" he asked. Lani shot him a dirty look. "Good. This war is almost over Lani, and you are going to help me finish it whether you like it or not."

"You're not going to win this Errol." Lani said. "Jak always finds a way to bring down his opponents."

"Maybe so, but I wonder how he will hold up when his little friend stands in his way?"

Lani was silent for a moment as the thoughts of her previous battle with Jak in the Wastelands returned to her. If Errol put her in the line of fire, Jak would have no choice but to take her out.

"He'll do whatever it takes to stop you…" Lani finally said. "The planet is more important than me…Sacrifices must be made…"

"Then I guess you won't mind being sacrificed in my final plans." Errol said smiling.

"And what might those be?" Lani asked, figuring there was no way out.

"Seeing how my attempts at destroying those crystals were foiled, I've decided to just get straight to the point." Errol said. "Aboard this ship are special machines that are capable of destroying this worthless rock you call a home. I will send the machines down to the surface and begin wrecking havoc and with you in my control, I will take pleasure in watching you navigate one of them and personally bring Jak and his friends to their knees."

"What happens to me…?" Lani asked. "When this is all over…?"

"Hmmm…" Errol scratched his chin. "We can discuss that later…But now let's see how your Eco interacts with the machines. Don't want go get my hopes up and it not even work…"

Using his large robotic arm he picked Lani up by her collar and slung her over his shoulder, taking her to the docking bay where the dark robots rested.

The three climbed over fallen buildings and blasted their way through the ruins.

"At the rate we're going, the Dark Makers could have taken this planet three times over." Daxter said.

"Complaining isn't going to make us get there any faster Daxter." Kayla said clambering over a rock.

"And I doubt it'll help take down these guys." Jak said facing the other direction.

The others turned to see 3 dark floating machines surrounding them.

"I guess this is a dead end for us." Kayla said. "It was nice knowing you guys—"

The wall behind them exploded into large bits of rock as a rather large vehicle landed before them, knocking the machines out of the sky.

"Maybe I can be of assistance?" came a voice from the buggie.

"Damas!" Daxter called out.

"I couldn't just sit by and watch you let the world fall into chaos." Damas said.

"We're glad you could make it." Jak said gratefully as he climbed aboard the buggie.

"Well, if it isn't one of my little prisoners." Damas said to Kayla from atop his desert vehicle. "What has become of the uncontrollable one?"

"Still uncontrollable." Jak said helping Kayla up as Damas began to drive. "The person responsible for all of this mess is trying to use her against us. I'm hoping we can find a way to stop him soon before something happens to her. But first we need to get to the catacombs and power up the defense system."

They sky suddenly filled with light. Damas hit the turbo and they sped off into the ruins as the air filled with balls of fire.

The tunnels to the catacombs could be seen in the distance and Damas slowed to a stop.

"We made it." Jak said with relief in his voice. "Thanks for your help Damas."

"Yeah!" Daxter added. "We woulda been dead if you hadn't dropped in."

"It's the least I could do for a great warrior like yourself—"

"Look out!!"

A fireball impacted the back of their vehicle and sent the Wastelanders flying into the air before knocking the wind out of all of them as the buggie hit the ground.

Kayla felt a pain in her legs. She opened her eyes so see the mangled metal frame pinning her legs between it and the seat. Using the strength of her Dark Eco, she pulled the frame apart, freeing her legs. She looked around but saw nothing but glints of light shining through the smoke and dust.

"Damas!" she heard Jak call through the dust. Hopping down to the ground, she ran to his aid.

Around the other side she could just see the outline of the others. As she got closer she realized one of them was pinned beneath the vehicle.

"Damas!" Jak called again. "Come on, talk to me…"

"I'm…very proud to have been able to fight in this battle with you, Jak..." Damas said. "Shame I couldn't help you to the end…"

"This isn't over yet." Jak said as Kayla neared them.

"I'll go get help." She said. "Hang in there, I'll be back as soon as I—"

"Don't bother." Damas said. "If this is my time, so be it."

He coughed painfully and Jak shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't…I won't do this without you…" Jak said.

"You can. I have faith in you Jak." Damas said. "The world needs a hero like you. But you must hurry…Time is running out…The people need you…Lani…needs you…"

"I'll…do my best…" Jak said.

Damas' strong body fell limp in Jak's arms. It was silent. Kayla stood up.

"I'll call for help." She said. "The least we can do is get his body out of here—"

"Well, well. If it isn't the Dark Eco freak…"

They looked up to see a thin, balding man before them. Jak gritted his teeth at the sight of him.

"Who are you?" Kayla asked.

"He's the guy who banished us to the Wastelands." Daxter said. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I was hoping to make it to the family reunion." Veger said. "But it appears I've arrived a little too late. Pity."

"Family?" Daxter asked.

"Oh, so you don't know yet?" Veger asked. "The man in your arms lost a child in Haven City not too long ago. A son, left wandering the streets alone while the Krimzon Guard where on his trail. He wore an amulet around his neck exactly like the one he has there…"

Jak looked down at Damas and saw a glint of red in his half closed hand. As he reached for it, he recognized it as the Seal of Mar.

"This is…" Jak began, holding it in his own hands.

"You mean…?" Daxter asked.

"What's wrong…?" Kayla asked, confused.

"That kid was…" Jak said, clenching his hand around the amulet. "I was…"

"Yes." Veger interrupted. "I was hoping to use your Eco Powers for some…experiments…but unfortunately your friends in the Underground got a hold of you before I could go through with them."

"Jak, what's he talking about?" Kayla asked.

"I protected a little boy a while ago." Jak explained. "Turned out the kid was my younger self…He had the same amulet as this one…Which means he was Damas' son...I was Damas' son…"

"And he never knew…" Veger said with an evil smirk.

Static filled the air as Dark Eco took over Jak in his state of rage. His eyes darkened and bolts of Eco surged from his body.

"Give me a good reason not to rip you apart right now Veger!"

"Jak, he's not worth it." Kayla said grabbing his arm. "Look at him…He's probably close to being dead anyway."

Jak gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tighter as his Eco resided. Veger raced down to the catacombs before Jak found the anger to come after him again.

Jak slammed his fists against the side of the dune buggie and shook with anger.

"You should get going Jak." Kayla said. "Like Damas said, we don't have much time. And Lani is still out there. Don't worry, I'll get him out of here."

Jak nodded and ran towards the catacombs with Daxter clinging to his shoulder plate. Kayla turned back to the wreckage and contacted Freedom League headquarters.

"This had better be good…" Torn's voice said through the communicator. He sounded annoyed, as usual.

"Jak's going down into the core now." Kayla replied. "But I need an air lift or something to get this body out here…"


	12. Retribution

Chapter 12:

Retribution

Errol set Lani down on stable ground once they entered the docking bay. Surrounding the platform were many monstrous machines. Lani stared at them in disbelief as Errol released her restraints and nudged her forward. She glared up at him.

"Don't try anything funny." Errol said. "Remember, I still have control over you. I'll kill you right here if I have to."

Lani cautiously walked to the edge of the platform and looked up at the machine. Just one of these was enough to do massive damage to the surface, but if Errol managed to release them all, the planet was done for.

The machine lowered its head, sensing the presence of her Eco, revealing its cockpit. Lani looked back at Errol before climbing aboard. Upon entering, the machine came to life. Alien wires slithered out from the sides of the cockpit and wrapped themselves around her limbs.

"Wha—what is this?" Lani asked alarmed. She tried pulling free but the wires held on.

"It seems to be interacting with your Eco signature." Errol said. "Perfect. Those lines will allow you to power the machine with your Eco, under my orders of course. I'll take control of one of the others. When we get to the surface—"

"You won't get away with this Errol!"

Lani and Errol looked up at the approaching voice.

"Jak!" Lani yelled.

The entire ship began to shake as a surge of light broke through the bay. The defense system had worked. Errol quickly opened the gate beneath the machine in which Lani sat.

"Lani, no!" Jak yelled. He quickened his pace, hoping to make it to the edge of the platform before the supports were released. The ceiling began to fall apart, bits of metal and wires showering down on them.

Jak was almost to the machine when one of the supports snapped causing the massive machine to fall to one side. The more the ship shook, the more of the supports keeping Lani in place severed. She pulled against the cockpit restraints and outstretched her hand to him, hoping he could pull her to safety.

Their hands were inches away when Errol grabbed onto Jak's other arm and threw him back. He hit hard against the metal platform, the force from the throw and the outgoing current of air pushing him closer to the edge. The final cable broke, sending Lani and the machine falling into space. Following its lead, Errol took control of another dark ship and dropped down to the surface. Jak could only watch in dismay as the air filled with debris.

"Hello?!" Daxter yelled at him over the sound of the rushing wind. "Don't just sit there, this thing is about to go down!"

Jak came to his senses and rose to his feet, pushing his way against the opposing wind to the exit.

Kayla sat on the edge of the Haven City port and dangled her feet above the murky water. She hadn't heard word about Jak or Lani since she left the ruins and worried if both were alright. She looked up into the cloudy sky, each puff illuminated by the light from the planet's defense system channeling into space. A few brave Haven souls had wandered from their homes and came out to watch as well. It wasn't long before the light faded.

"I guess we did it." Kayla said to herself.

Kayla stood up and stared into the sky as it lightened once again and the clouds began to part. They sky opened up revealing the vast machine plummeting towards the city. The Haven citizens had little time to escape before the foreign ship crashed into the port, sending a wave of grey water crashing into the streets. People were swept off their feet and washed a few feet down the road. The hovering vehicles crashed into nearby walls.

As the water subsided Kayla rose to her feet. The world around her darkened as a shadow spread over the port. She looked up as the fallen object began rising to its feet. The head of the machine burst from the dark depths and the person within gasped for air.

"Lani?!" Kayla said in disbelief.

Lani looked down at her with jet black eyes as the head of the machine rose above port edge.

"You need to get out of here and find Jak." Lani called down to her as she fought against her Eco for control. "I don't know how to stop this thing and Errol has another one close by. If he isn't stopped the planet is done for."

The head of the dark machine reached its final height, towering above all the Haven buildings. The remaining citizens ran for their lives as it began to walk, shaking the entire city as it stepped over the city wall with ease.

Jak dived out of the way as a large mechanical tentacle slammed down on the platform before him. The head of the Dark machine where Errol resided began to glow as he charged up his weapon. Jak rolled over and onto his feet as the laser burned down, following close to his heels.

He came to a sliding stop at the edge of the machine's back and looked off into the sandy distance. Through the dust filled winds he could see a dark shape slowly making its way towards the battle sight.

"Great…"

The machine head slammed down and Jak nearly lost his balance as the entire platform shook from the impact. Errol laughed hysterically from within the robot.

"It seems your little friend has finally arrived." Errol said. "How do you plan on getting out of this one Jak?"

For once, Jak was lost for a plan. One Dark machine was a handful, but adding a second with Lani at the wheel under Errol's complete control was making this battle seem impossible to finish.

"What are we gonna do Jak!?" Daxter asked.

"The only thing we can do Dax." Jak said. "Fight with all of our strength and wish for the best. Hopefully Lani can find the Light within herself to stop that thing before she makes it over here…Or else this is not going to be pretty."

Kayla sped over the sandy dunes firing numerous rounds at the Dark Machine's legs. But under the influence of Eco, Lani pressed on as if Kayla wasn't even there. They were only a few miles away from the other Dark machine that had fallen, only a few minutes' walk for the massive robot. Kayla increased her speed.

Jak ran back and forth across the Dark machine's flat back as Errol brought down the robot's head like a hammer.

"Maybe if we take out the head, we can end all of this!" Daxter suggested.

"Great idea Dax." Jak said. "Why don't you tell him to hold still for a moment, and maybe I could hit him."

Jak jumped into the air as Errol sent a laser beam across the platform. Suddenly, the desert seemed to darken.

"Jak, look out!" came a girl's voice.

He turned around to see the second Dark machine towering over them. It rocked from side to side with each step as its giant legs crippled beneath it. Jak leapt off the edge of Errol's machine as Lani's collapsed on top of it.

Jak's long drop was softened by the sand. As he rolled to a stop, he lost grip of his gun. He reached out for it but the force of the crash sent it rolling down the dunes. He swore under his breath and looked up to see the robotic Errol standing before him having escaped the wreck just in time.

"This is where we say goodbye Jak." Errol said. He held out his mechanical arm and it began to charge.

"Looks like we've failed Dax…" Jak said.

"Well it was fun while it lasted." Daxter said. "It was nice knowin' ya Jak."

Jak shut his eyes tightly as the shot went off. It was silent other than the sound of the sand sweeping across the desert. Warm droplets hit his face and yet he felt no pain. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself shadowed by another.

"No…"

The Eco altered Lani dropped to one knee as blood dripped down her front from the blast, staining the sand. She glared up at Errol and bared her fangs.

"Pity…" Errol said to her. "You could have lived if you'd have just did as I said and stayed out of the way. It's not too late to back off."

Lani said nothing as she shakily rose to her feet, never once diverting her cold glare away from him.

"Then I guess you'll just have to die like the rest of them." Errol said. "What a waste."

Ignoring him Lani stabilized herself and ran towards Errol with a charged ball of Dark energy. He reactivated the device in Lani's neck and she collapsed face down into the sand.

"Quit trying to be a hero, girl." Errol said to her. "You'll never win this fight. Now get up and finish what has been started."

Like a puppet, Lani clambered to her feet and turned towards Jak. As she got closer, a ball of electricity formed in each of her hands.

"Lani don't do this…" Jak said backing up in the sand. "I know you have what it takes to overcome this…Don't let him be the end of you…"

Lani stood before him, a Dark ball of energy in each hand. She stared down at Jak as if she didn't even recognize him. And in a flash, she was gone.

The sparks reappeared and Errol stepped aside just in time as Lani reappeared. Her strike missed but she didn't give up. She slid across the sand and caught her footing and faced him again before charging.

He raised his gun arm and fired two rounds, hitting her in the arm and in the middle again. She stumbled and the strength of the winds pushed her down into the sand. Errol only laughed.

"Lani please stop this—" Jak said jumping to his feet. But before he could reach her she conjured a Light shield around him. Trembling, Lani pushed herself up again, her clothes soaking in her blood.

"I didn't go through all of this mess with this Eco just so that you can push me around." Lani said to Errol as she got to her feet. "And I'm not going to let it drive me anymore either. I am in control of this battle and I won't stop until you're dead."

A wave of pain surged through her body and she stumbled to a stop. Errol kept his gun raised, waiting for her to dare move again.

"You are beginning to annoy me." Errol said.

Lani took another step towards him and he fired another round, piercing her middle. But that didn't stop her.

Errol didn't even hesitate before firing his weapon again. Lani took the hits as if she felt no pain, determined to put a stop to him. Jak banged his fists against the shield pleading with her as she fell, but she only rose to her feet and stumbled along, trailing blood with every step. Errol hit her in the leg, knocking her down once more. She struggled to get back up.

"There's no use in trying anymore Lani." He said. "You're a dead girl walking. There's no hope for you."

Lani's limbs gave way and she fell to the ground and Errol lowered his gun. Jak yelled out to her from within the shield.

A stream of crimson dripped down her chin as she glared up at Errol's smiling metallic face. He stepped forward and pressed his large foot against her back, pushing her down into the sand. She grabbed onto his leg and tried to send an electrical current through it, but the sparks just rebounded.

"This is what happens when you get in my way." Errol said. "Your time is up—"

A wave of electricity spiraled through his insides, causing his robotic body to malfunction. Looking behind him Errol saw Kayla with her hand lodged in his back as she sent her own Eco into him. Losing control over himself, Errol began to topple over. She released her grip and stepped back. Freed from his foot Lani forced herself to her feet again.

"Go…to hell…Errol…" She said panted, clenching her wounds. "And don't…come back."

A large Eco crystal shot up from the ground and went straight through his body. Sparks flew and finally Errol shut down, as his screams were lost in the wind.

Lani stared at the impaled Errol, her breathing heavy. She looked up at Kayla who looked horrified by her condition then turned to Jak. She saw the extreme worry in his face and smiled in reassurance, the Eco gauge on her forehead in complete harmony. She could see him calling out to her but it suddenly sounded so distant. Her heart beat slowly between her deep, steady breaths.

Lani looked down at the blood stained sand and began to sway with the wind before falling to her knees. She looked back up at Kayla, the sandy wind shrouding her and slowly becoming darker. The world shifted and she soon felt the soft, warm sand against her cheek.

The shield around Jak vanished and he quickly ran to her side.

Her body was numb and the world silent other than the sound of her tired heart between breaths. The shadowy world rotated again and Jak's blurry face came into view again. His mouth was moving but no words were coming out.

"Don't worry Jak…" Lani said weakly. "Everything is going to be ok…"

Her words seemed to be absorbed into the shadows, not quite reaching to where Jak could hear.

Jak held Lani in his arms. She had a vacant look upon her face as he tried to shake her back to her senses.

"Come on Lani, don't do this to me…" Jak said in panic. He focused his Light Eco into his hand and held it against her deep wounds. "Lani, this isn't funny…"

"Try taking the control device out!" Kayla said in a shaky voice. "Maybe it's still connected to Errol…"

Kayla took out her blade and hastily but carefully stuck it into Lani's neck as Jak continued to heal her wounds. Finally, the little alien signal was removed, but Lani was completely unresponsive.

"Dammit wake up!"

Finally, their worried faces faded, leaving nothing but darkness and a slow, hushed beating in her ears.

Her body relaxed in his arms.

"No, no, no, Lani!" Jak yelled at her. "Lani come back to me!"

The beating finally stopped and the world was completely silent around her.

"We did it…" Lani said into the darkness. "It's over…"


	13. Farewell

Chapter 13:

Farewell

Jak and his friends gathered in the Wasteland arena before the Precursors and their space ship. The desert citizens cheered with joy at their success, though Jak and the others didn't seem too pleased with the outcome.

"We want to thank you again Jak for everything you've done." The leader of the Precursor Ottsels said. "This planet is grateful for the sacrifices you have made to ensure their safety."

Jak clenched his fists and stared down into the lava below. It bubbled like the anger inside of him.

"I've saved hundreds, even thousands of lives…" Jak said. "But I failed to keep those that actually mattered safe…Damas…Lani…I've failed them both…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself Jak." Kayla said placing a hand on his shoulder. "You tried your best. It wasn't your fault."

"Can we offer you some kind of reward to ease your pain?" a second Precursor asked. "Perhaps you would like to join us in ventures across the universe? Explore new worlds, unlock new adventures—?"

"No..." Jak said. "No matter how far from here I was, I couldn't forgive myself knowing I let my friend and my father die on the same day..."

The Precursors looked to one another.

"May we take her with us?" the leader asked.

"What for?" Kayla asked

"We want to give her a suitable funeral." He said. "She did give her life to help you save the planet after all. We feel it would only be proper to let her spirit experience what else lies beyond this planet and allow her to rest peacefully away from the chaos of the world."

The others looked from one another, debating.

"I'm sure she would have loved it…" Jak said. It was quiet for a moment as they thought it over. "Alright…you can take her…"

They carefully secured Lani's cold body into the ship. Jak stood over her one last time, not believing this was truly happening. It seemed as if she was only asleep and he couldn't help but hope she would wake up soon.

"Thank you…" he said quietly to her before turning his back and exiting the ship.

"You are welcome to come with us." The Ottsel leader said as Jak stood beside the others.

"I should stay." Jak said. "I really don't think this world will last long without me."

"Ain't that the truth." Daxter said.

"Suit yourself then." One of the other Precursors said. "See you around."

"Hey," Jak called to them. "Take care of her ok?"

They nodded as the door to the ship shut and the engine fired up. Everyone watched as it rose into the sky, the setting sun reflecting off of its metallic surface.

It wasn't long before they had vanished into the darkening sky. One by one, people began to leave the arena, congratulating Jak for his success and apologizing for his loss. Soon, only he and his group remained. Kayla stood by Keira.

"I bet you're feeling much better about yourself knowing she's gone, now don't you?" Kayla asked her.

"Just because I didn't like her doesn't mean I'd wish for her dead…" Keira said. "Who are you to judge me anyway? You know nothing about our relationship."

Keira turned her back to the group and left. The others gave Jak their parting words and headed back to Haven City.

"She was a great person Jak..." Kayla said. "And I'm sure she was very glad to have someone like you watching over her…"

"I just wish she hadn't gotten involved is all…" Jak said. "Everything she's been through during this fight was purely behind me and I can't help but feel responsible."

"I could tell that she really cared about you." Kayla said. "But I don't think she'd ever want you to blame yourself for her actions."

"I guess you're right." Jak said sighing deeply. He looked up again, seeing nothing but clouds streaking across the orange and yellow sky. "Come on Dax, we've got work to do."

"What!?" Daxter exclaimed. "No break!? I hate this job…"

"Not for us." Jak said. "Unfortunately, life goes on for the rest of us…Come on, let's go start rebuilding Haven City…again…"

Daxter moaned loudly and hopped onto Jak's shoulder as they exited the arena. The stars above began to appear, replacing the setting sun with their glinting light. Jak fixed his eyes on the brightest one as he walked, seeing Lani's smiling face enjoying the view from space in his head. His heart lightened a little at the thought and he continued on, spiritually thanking her for all that she did for him.


	14. Void Dreams

Chapter 14:

Void Dreams

Lani opened her eyes to blinding white surroundings. There was nothing to be seen in any direction. She looked down at herself expecting to see her bloodied body, but the wounds were completely gone. Alarmed and confused, she got to her feet and began to wander the empty void.

She had been walking for what seemed like hours yet came across nothing but emptiness. It was hard to tell how far she had even gone from her starting position, if she had actually gone anywhere. She stared off into the white, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite prisoner."

Lani spun around to see Damas standing behind her.

"Where did you—?" Lani said lost for words. "How did—? What's…?"

"I guess things didn't go well out there." he asked.

"What do you mean…?" Lani asked, still trying to absorb everything. "Where are we?"

"If I knew I would tell you." Damas said.

"Great." Lani said putting her hands on her hips. "I'm sure there's and exit somewhere is this weird place."

"You haven't realized what's happened yet, have you?" Damas asked her.

"I blacked out." Lani said. "For all I know, those Dark Makers could have captured us and brought us here to do who knows what…I just hope Jak can find us…"

"Don't hope for Jak to come this time." Damas said. "This is not some place where anyone would want to be."

"What?" Lani said. "Why not? Jak will always save the ones closest to him—"

Damas sighed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Lani, there's no other way to say this, but Jak can't save us anymore…" Damas said. "He can't save us because we're dead."

"Yeah right, Damas." Lani said. "You know that's not something to joke about in a situation like this—"

"I do sometimes make cruel jokes to test the strength of others," Damas said, "but this is not one of them."

Lani looked up at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes.

"But how did—?" Lani started, her eyes beginning to sting from the tears that formed. Damas sat her down and sat beside her.

"I was caught underneath the frame of my biggest vehicle as we broke our way through the ruins in Haven City." Damas said. "I told Jak to leave me and to keep you safe…But it seems he didn't do a very good job if you're here."

"It must have been when I blacked out then…" Lani said thinking back. "You should have been there…I took so many hits I can understand why I'd be here…but, I can't be…this must just be a really bad dream…"

"Believe what you want." Damas said.

They sat silently together in the void.

"What do we do now then?" Lani asked staring down at the white space. "There's not much here…I'm not even sure how you managed to find me…"

"If you wander long enough I'm sure you'll find some others." Damas said. "I just wish I could have seen my son one last time…"

"You had a son?" Lani asked.

"His name was Mar."

"You mean like the guy that built Haven City?"

"Yes, and he was very young the last time I saw him, my son. You know I ruled over Haven once…It was when that power hungry Praxis came in that I lost everything, including my son. They took him away from me and banished me to the Wastelands, but I didn't let that bring me down. I just wish I knew he was ok…"

"I'm sure he's fine if he had someone like you for a dad. I've only seen one lost little kid in Haven during the time I had been there, but he wasn't yours."

"If you've never seen my son, then how would you know?" Damas said. "What did he look like?"

"He was a cute little kid…" Lani said. "Had green hair and always wore this special symbol around his neck that could open doors. But I know he's not your son because he's—"

"Symbol? What kind of symbol?"

"It was red." Lani said, confused by Damas' sudden curiosity. "I think they called it the seal of Mar—"

"That's my son…"

"What…?"

Damas pulled a necklace into view from around his own neck and at the end dangled the same red seal.

"This is a symbol of my family line…Descendants of Mar…And the boy you described is my son. You found my son!"

"But, that can't be right... If he's your son, then that would mean that—"

"What?" Damas asked. "Is there something wrong with him?"

"No…" Lani said. "But, you see…We came to Haven City through a time rift from a place nearly 500 years in the past. The last thing we needed was to screw time up, so to keep the balance of the universe we sent the boy back to the time we came from after we found out that he was the younger version of Jak..."

"You mean…Jak is…my son…?"

"If that charm really does mean that kid's from your family…and…Jak was that kid…then yes…"

The eerie silence of the void returned, as if it was sucking away at everything that tried to exist. Damas lifted his head and stared up at what they felt was the ceiling.

"Thank you, for easing the pain I've been carrying in my heart for so long." He said. "I could not have asked for my son to grow up into a better man."

"I'm sure he would have been proud to have you as a father." Lani said. "And I'm glad to have had him for a friend…I just wish things didn't end the way they did. But at least he was by my side when it was over. I don't know what I would have done if it had been him instead of me."

"He really cared about you too." Damas said. "He defended you so much in Spargus despite your condition that there was no doubt about it. I'm sure he was glad to have you by his side also."

Lani smiled at him and his face softened and smiled back. Standing up, he looked around the vacant space.

"Why don't we wander this bleak place together?" Damas said. "Maybe I can catch up on what I've missed."

Lani rose to her feet and followed him into the never ending whiteness.


	15. Space

Chapter 15:

Space

There was nothing but with a few glints of light off in the vast blackness. The large metal vessel floated silently.

"So…why do we have a dead girl on the ship again?" one of the Precursors asked. "You really need to stop lying to people…."

"There may still be hope for her." The Precursor leader said.

"Wait, we can bring her back?" the first Ottsel asked.

"Possibly…" the leader said. "Since she has vast quantities of Eco within her, we may be able to reawaken it and in time, the Light Eco may revive her."

"We can do that?" The dumber of the Precursors said.

"Well why didn't you just tell them then?" the first asked.

"It has never been attempted before…" the leader explained. "So there are no guarantees on its success…Besides, if it does work, I think it would be a great way to thank Jak even more than what words could do."

"Well, it's worth a shot." The first said bluntly. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Right…" the Precursor leader went on. "We'd better get started then while her Eco is still reactive."


	16. Light in the Darkness

Chapter 16:

Light in the Darkness

Jak walked along the sandy beach and gazed up at the clear starry sky. The warm Wasteland breeze sent the waves gently crashing onto the shore.

He climbed up the rocky ledge to where the city turret rested. He ran his hand along its barrel before sitting down, dangling his legs over the edge. The moon reflected onto the surface of the calm sea. Jak sighed and looked up into the sky again and lay down onto his back. The stars twinkled happy and he closed his eyes, listening to the roaring waves.

The darkness suddenly lit up and he opened his eyes. A blue ball of fire soared down and crashed into the water below and Jak pulled out his gun, aiming it where the comet had landed. Its pale blue light shone through the dark water, slowly getting brighter as it rose to the surface. The bright sphere broke the surface and floated above the water for a moment before vanishing. A shadowy figure splashed around in place of the light bubble, gasping for air as the current pushed it around.

Jak followed it with his gun as it began to swim, shortly being pushed under by a large wave. Jak lowered his weapon and climbed down to the beach as the shadowed figure washed up onto the shore.

It lay motionless in the sand and he prodded it with his gun. It suddenly came to life, pushing itself up and coughing up the water it had inhaled.

"'Who are you?" Jak asked with his gun raised. "And, where did you come from?"

It said nothing as it lifted itself onto their feet and brushing the sand from its body. Its face hidden behind its long soaking hair, Jak could see the curves of its body in the moonlight and realized it was female.

"Where did you come from—?" Jak asked again. He stopped short when she looked up at him, the moonlight illuminating her face. He dropped his gun in shock.

They only stared at each other, never saying a word as the waves collided with the sandy beach and washed over her bare feet. She suddenly began to cough again, the remaining water in her lungs trying to free itself. Before she knew what was happening, she found her face buried in his chest as he embraced her tightly.

"Jak…you're hurting me…" she finally said after a few minutes.

"Sorry…"He loosened his grip and she looked up at him. "I just…didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"How long was I asleep for?" Lani asked.

A little pain shot through Jak's heart. She didn't remember what had happened.

"I had the strangest dream…" she went on. "I dreamt that I was in this big empty place and no one was around…but then Damas appeared…he told me some pretty depressing things…"

"What did he tell you?"

Lani looked down at the sand, reaching for the faded images in her mind.

"He told me that he was dead…" Lani said. "And that the only reason I was there was because I was dead too…and that you wouldn't come for me anymore…but I'm here so I can't be dead right?"

He released his grip on her and looked her right in the eyes.

"Lani, Damas is gone." Jak said.

"What do you mean? It was just a dream Jak…I mean, Damas was trying to tell me that you were his son."

"He did have a son." Jak said. "And his son was the same kid we protected in Haven City, the same kid that grew into me..."

"So…you are Damas' son…?"

"Yes…but, I didn't have a chance to tell him…"

"I told him…in my dream…" Lani said.

"So he knows?" Jak asked.

"In my dream he does…But what does that have to do with—?"

"When he said he was dead, did he tell you how it happened?"

"He said something about one of his buggies, I don't really remember…Jak what's going on—?"

"A bomb hit our vehicle and he was pinned under it when we reached the catacombs. There wasn't anything we could do to save him. And he died before he knew he was my father."

"I don't understand how I would know all of this from a dream though—"

"Do you remember anything about you fighting Errol?"

"Yeah." Lani said. "I was so tired from the fight I fell asleep in the sand…"

"Lani, you weren't sleeping…After you killed him you collapsed…We tried to save you but you lost so much blood and your heart just stopped…You gave your life for me…"

"So…it was real…?"

Jak nodded silently.

"Then…how did I get back here?" Lani asked.

"The Precursors asked if they could take your body." Jak said. "I guess they revived you."

He hugged her close to him again.

"I still can't believe that…I was actually dead…" Lani said leaning her head on his chest. "How long has it been…since my heart stopped?"

"Long enough." Jak said. "But, none of that matters anymore…You're here now."

He was so warm, easing the trembling of her cold, drenched body. She wrapped her own around him and tightened her grip around his thin waist and wished she never had to let go. He held her for a long time.

They sat beside each other in the soft sand. The warm wind brushed against them, bringing with it the spray of the sea as the waves rolled across their feet onto the shore. Finally, the sun peeked over the horizon and Lani smiled, happy to see the colors of day again.


End file.
